A Twilightale
by Orietta Rose
Summary: When Isabella Swan loses her family to illness she has to work as a servant in the palace of the Royal Cullen family. She & Prince Edward share an instant dislike for one another, but years later things begin to change. 1800s, creative liberties taken.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any Twilight related characters or content. This disclaimer applies to all future chapters of this fan work.

**O**nce upon a time, in a land not so far from your own there lived a little girl named Isabella Marie Swan. She was an unremarkable child with common place features; brown eyes and pale skin were nothing special in the Township of Forks. She had no particular talents or abilities and was not from a very wealthy or affluent family. Her mother, Renèe Swan, and her father, Charles Swan, owned a half acre plot of land on which they had built a small house. Renèe worked as a private tutor while Charles farmed.

They had a very modest income, as did nearly everyone else in Forks, and worked hard for what they had. Isabella, now nearly eight, did just as much as her parents. She fed the chickens, cleaned the horse and cow stalls and sewed patches on all her old pants and skirts; she did the same for some of the other local children, for which she was paid. Her mother had even given her a little bit of land upon which she grew herbs and vegetables.

Her parents loved her dearly and did the best they could to raise her right. Her mother taught her reading, writing and arithmetic whenever she had a spare moment between planning lessons, cooking and doing laundry. Her father took her out to the potato fields to pick the ugly, little potato bugs off of the leaves. It wasn't exactly her favorite chore of the week, but it taught her to be persistent and to pay attention to detail. If any one of those 'icky' bugs was left to the potatoes they'd be out of luck when harvesting time came around.

Isabella, known as Bella to friends and family, loved her simple existence. She didn't want bigger things like the girls around town seemed to. They dreamed of a fairytale life; a chance meeting with Prince Edward, love at first sight and a title. Princess Jessica! Princess Lauren! Even Angela had the tendency to drift off into dreamland whenever the boy's name was mentioned.

Privately Bella didn't see what was so wonderful about him. He was cute, it was true, but there needed to be more to it than that. They didn't really _know_ anything about him. As far as she was concerned he was a prince and that was all. Until she saw otherwise that was all he would be to her. And she never would know otherwise because she was just a common little girl, living in a common little town, with her common little family and that was exactly the way she liked it.

Currently Miss Swan was lallygagging on her walk home from the market; rather than taking the direct path down the main dirt road she'd veered east onto a lesser known scenic tail through the forest. The path was just barely visible through the thick ferns and other foliage from the dusty route. None of the adults in town knew of it's existence and very few of the children were brave enough to walk the supposedly cursed pathway.

The high, green leaves obscured the sunlight, filling the woodland with a murky, dark-green hue. Branches snapped behind one as little animals scampered by and birds twittered and cawed at exactly the least expected moments. If she hadn't been on this path so many times before she would have been just as frightened as the others seemed to be.

It wasn't that she couldn't see the reasoning behind the fear that so many of the children harbored. If your older brothers, sisters, parents, aunts and uncles had told and retold the infamous stories of the frightening creatures that preyed upon small children who were foolhardy enough to go traipsing through the forest unaccompanied, well, you would be more than a little cautious too. Bella, along with the few others who were too young to take pleasure in alarming the smaller ones yet old enough to have figured out the truth, knew the real reason behind the tales; they were told to keep them in line. It was like the little boy who called wolf, it had a moral. In this case it was that wandering alone in a dark, unfamiliar place was a stupid thing to do.

There was more to it than that though; as previously stated none of the adults were aware of the existence of this particular pathway. No, the narratives surrounding this place came from those who had walked it.

Lauren had quite a lot to say on the subject. According to her she'd had two encounters with a strange beast who roamed the woods, seen one unicorn, and had been contacted, telepathically, by a hag who apparently lived deep inside the wood. Bella had never experienced anything supernatural on her walks, and wasn't sure that she believed that what her friends told her was the truth. It would be just like Lauren to fib about something like that, and Jessica _would_ go along with her. They both had the tendency to make a lot of fuss about nothing. It wouldn't have surprised Bella if Lauren had made everything up for attention; she was just that type of person.

"Oh!" Bella exclaimed quietly to herself. She'd just remembered that she'd bought a little sweet bun with a bit of money she'd come across on her walk near the main market. If she wanted to eat it before dinner she had better do it soon, her mother would only question her about it if she caught her with it.

After a little bit of searching she was able to find a nice fallen tree to climb up and perch upon. It was only a few steps from the path, not far at all; in fact she could see the pathway from where she was sitting.

She shook her head, there was no point in trying to justify her wandering to herself. It _wasn't_ a good idea to leave the path, but it was too late now, she'd already done it. She might as well enjoy her bun while it was still warm.

As she did so her thoughts wandered back to her friends, or those who called themselves her friends. Jessica and Lauren she'd already thought over, but Angela she rarely thought about. It wasn't that she didn't care for her, quite the contrary, it was just that Angela never did much worth thinking about. She wasn't one for adventure. Then again she was very nice, almost too nice as she never seemed to see, or maybe she ignored, the faults of others.

Then there were the boys. They weren't really friends, more like acquaintances. Michael, Tyler, and Eric seemed to follow her around. It was very annoying, especially the way they would tease her. She'd once hit Michael when he pulled her hair and had then been soundly punished by her mother. The Newton's, Michael's family, owned a fairly profitable store in town and he was one of Renèe's charges. Bella was sure that she'd never forget how good it had felt to smack him one. It had been worth the punishment and none of the boys had bothered her for a good two weeks afterward. They'd gotten over their fear since then, but those fourteen days had been bliss.

Bella chewed on her lip as she thought, having finished her bun. Did she have any real, true friends? After this longish think she wasn't sure; it certainly didn't seem that way.

She was on her way to being throughly unhappy when a sudden howl pierced through the silence that had descended upon the forest. Bella, having been wrapped up in her thoughts, had failed to notice the eerie quiet that had fallen around her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Abruptly she was more anxious about returning home in time for supper. She hopped down from her dead tree branch and fought her way through the high grass and ferns back to the path. Had it been so far before?

After what seemed like ages, and fueled by fear, she was on the footpath again. Breaking into a trot she continued on her way home.

Sooner than she would have thought possible there was a thinning in the trees. She supposed that while she was consciously focused on her worries of being eaten alive by some kind of large wild dog she'd stopped noticing the passage of time. As she crossed the lawn of her home however she noted that the suns position hadn't altered nearly as much as it should have. It normally took her a good hour and a half to get through all the brush. Stopping to check the sundial she saw that it was only a quarter past four; she'd left the market at just about three thirty.

She shook her head in amazement. Maybe Lauren hadn't been lying after all. Then again her fright might have helped her move more quickly.

The first option sounded more exciting.

"Isabella Marie! What are you doing standing there in such a sate?!" Renèe called, striding across the short distance from the house to Bella. "You know that Mrs Fields is going to call at dinner!" She grabbed her child by the upper arm and proceeded to drag her through the back door into the kitchen.

"Go and scrub yourself clean," she pushed a bar of lye soap into Bella's hand. "And please fix your hair! What were you doing? Running a race again? I've told you that those sorts of things are very unladylike...."

Bella left the room before her mother had a chance to really get into a lecture; they could go on for hours.

"And change into your dinner dress!"

"Yes, yes Mommy dearest," she muttered, turning on the stairs to stick out her tongue in her mother's general direction.

Once in her room she stripped down to her underwear and started cleaning the dirt and grime from her arms, legs and face. She'd fallen a few times on her speedy trip through wood and the mud had hardened. Her mother was right, she really did look a fright.

The water in her washing basin was stone cold and the soap burned as she rubbed it roughly against her skin. Soon she was clean enough to be called presentable and she pulled her best dinner dress from her wardrobe. She set it on the bed, standing back to look at it.

It was the only truly expensive piece of clothing she owned and she hated it. The dress was a horrid, ruffled and laced thing in the most disgusting color imaginable; pink. She couldn't believe that this was what high society children wore. Bella didn't think that it was worth the money her parents had spent on it.

She hid her intense dislike from everyone though, because it _had_ cost an awful lot and her mother and father had done without more than a few things to save up for it. So even though it was ugly and uncomfortable she wore it without complaint. Besides, it seemed that she was the only one who felt that the dress was unattractive, if she had said anything it would have been dismissed and put up to 'poor breeding'; she was not poorly bred.

As can be expected Little Miss Swan did not take well to insults against her family. She'd heard them before and had always made a point to speak up about it. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to do, little girls were meant to be seen, not heard, but she found the idea of allowing her parents to be spoken of when they were not around intolerable; especially if they were being talked about in an unflattering manner. They were the best mother and father that anybody could ever have and she couldn't understand why they were gossiped about, though everyone was a topic at one point or another.

That was why Bella was particularly _not_ looking forward to the dinner that was about to begin.

"Mrs Fields is just a big ole' wind bag," she said to herself as she pulled the dress on over her head. "Gossip, gossip, gossip, that's all she ever does." She yanked her comb through her wavy, chestnut colored hair. "Ouch!" she sighed angrily as she came to a particularly tangled bit and tossed the comb onto her bed as soon as she was finished. "If she hadn't invited herself last week she wouldn't be coming now."

Leaving her bedroom she stomped her way down the stairs and into the sitting room where she flumped into an armchair. "Isabella really, be polite, if for nothing other than my sanity," Renèe implored as she passed through the room, stopping momentarily to tie a ribbon in her daughter's hair. "And don't wrinkle your dress! Really, anyone would think that you'd been raised by savages."

Her mother was an authority on savages and according to her Isabella often behaved like one. Slouching, getting dirty, and arguing were all things that savages did. Her mother was forever going on and on about those savages and how if her child wished to act like one then could just leave on a ship for an island.

Bella scoffed at her mother's request. Of course she was going to be polite; she wouldn't enjoy it, but she would do it.

She surveyed the sitting room; her mother had replaced the older flower-patterned pillows with new red and gold ones with tassels. The good china tea set had been placed on the small, rectangular coffee table and everything had been washed down and dusted. Bella rolled her eyes, Mrs Fields was such an inconvenience. She consistently imposed her company upon those who did not want it.

There were other women in the town like that, but Mrs Fields seemed to feel like she was owed respect. It was true that she had lived a good few years longer than most and had valuable wisdom to impart, however she only did so when she felt like it and those times seemed to correlate with the moments when she was being complemented.

Contrary to her mother's beliefs Bella was actually a very observant child. She was also quite mature for her age, she'd seemingly skipped over the stage of silliness that continued to plagued the other girls her age around town. Occasionally Renèe would tell her daughter that she'd been born middle aged that she became more so with each passing year. Soon after those comments the little savage would make an appearance and that would be the end of that for a couple of weeks.

Bella was getting tired of waiting. She had been lounging in the chair for a good twenty minutes and Mrs Fields had yet to arrive. She was about ready to stand and leave the room when a knock sounded at the door; Mrs Fields was fashionably late as always. Bella adjusted her position in her seat, sitting straighter she held her head high, mentally preparing herself for the dull conversation that would soon begin.

A/N: First chapter, what do you think?! Leave a review to let me know! Also the next chapter is written, but I won't post until I've received sufficient response. Let me know if I made any serious mistakes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It had been three hours and Mrs Fields was still droning on and on about nothing. Dinner had passed uneventfully and Bella had long since given up listening to the uninterrupted flow of the one sided conversation.

"Well, I said to her, Mrs Kent, I said, Mrs Kent you can't possibly expect that daughter of yours to have any better offers can you? The man makes just over a thousand a year and that is more than _I_ expected for Juliana..."

Bella was staring off into space, her eyes glazed and unfocused as the wind bag continued with her story of how she'd matched Juliana Kent with a Mr Bartlet. Bella knew Juliana, she was a nice enough girl, fairly pretty. Her family wasn't very high the social ladder, but why should that matter? Things like that really got under her skin. She hated knowing that marriage, even life in general, was more about money and power than love and friendship.

It was just one of those things, as her mother said. That was the way the world worked.

Bella remembered that conversation. Just as she was now, Mrs Fields had been bragging about stagging a marriage between a not-so-well-off girl and a fairly influential man. Bella had asked about the reasoning behind marriages and was wondering why her parents wasn't like the kind so often described by older women.

"There are some people Isabella," Renèe had said. "That feel that status with security is more important than love with a risk."

It was then that she'd decided that she would rather take the risk of marrying for love and being happy than sit around feeling awkward with money and a man she didn't know or truly care for.

"Well, the wedding will be taking place right away of course. I am very glad, you know, that I could be of help to the Kent family, they certainly needed it!" Mrs Fields sent a significant glance toward Bella who was looking at the wall across from her seat on the couch. "You know, Renèe, Isabella is nearing marriage age. I understand that she is only seven, but one can never being the search too early."

Bella looked at her mother quickly, having refocused on the conversation when her name was mentioned. Renèe seemed to be utterly lost for words so Bella took over in her usual way.

"That is a very personal question Mrs Fields and I don't think that you have any right to ask it." She wondered a bit too late if she'd framed her response in a polite way.

Mrs Fields stared at the girl in shock. No one had ever spoken to her in such an insolent way as that, no one would dare. Though, in an odd way she found the insult to her stature amusing, more so because the person delivering it was a child who was small for her age. "Dear child you speak with such force. That is not proper behavior for a little girl; not at all proper."

Renèe had found her voice and after giving Bella a stern look answered to Mrs Fields statement. "I am sorry, she is at that age you know, when they want to feel as if they know best."

Jacquelin Fields was a shrewd woman; a gossip yes, but an intelligent one. She saw through her hostess' attempted cover-up yet felt it best to humor her by allowing her to think that she was had been fooled. "Yes, I suppose she is. My great-niece, Rosalie Hale, is just the same as your Isabella. The cheeky thing! Though she is quite a few years older she always has something to say," she shook her head. "Most often something that ought not to be said, she has had her whims indulged far to often."

"Oh, really? Well, children will be children and all that!"

Bella soon lost interest in the adults discussion and proceeded to count the number of cracks in the wall. It was just like them to talk about her as if she weren't there. If she'd been of a mind to she would have said something about it. She had promised her mother that she would be good though and pushed her irritation aside.

Her thoughts drifted farther and farther away from the current situation, the earlier adventure coming to her mind as she cast her eyes about the room. What exactly _had_ happened? She'd gotten out of the wood much sooner than was possible, had Lauren really been right? Maybe not all of the stories were lies. Most fantasies had a basis in fact; even if the truth was long forgotten they'd had to begin somewhere.

She wondered about the possibility for a time before her mind moved onto other matters. What Mrs Fields had said, extremely rude and assumptive as it had been, was somewhat true. Even at the age of seven many girls were thinking about marriage, as were their families. Making a good match was important and in a town as small as Forks those were hard to come by.

If she were to stay on at home past the age of twenty or so she'd become a burden to her mother and father. She didn't want to end up an old maid! Perhaps Lauren was right about this one thing; it was important for girls to act like girls. This was a matter she'd have to think about more throughly. How was she supposed to wait around for love to come and find her when she had so little time?

"Bella? What do you think? Isabella!" Her eyes focused on her mother's annoyed expression. "Really now, have you not heard a word that we've said?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I guess I just got caught up in my thoughts."

Renèe rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Mrs Fields has invited you to tour the country with herself and her husband! Rosalie is indisposed with the mumps and they've already arranged everything for a party of three."

Bella stared at her mother uncomprehendingly; the message didn't seem to be getting through. "I don't understand." Why would Mrs Fields want her to go? There were plenty of other girls her age who were much more well behaved than she was and less likely to make a spectacle of themselves. For goodness sakes, she'd only just insulted the womens character!

"Isabella," she turned to look at the women in question. "I feel that a trip such as this would do you a great deal of good. The main point is the stop in the Royal City of course..."

"It would be such a wonderful learning experience, really!"

Bella's first instinct was to answer with a loud and resounding "No", but her mother looked so very excited. She bit her lip, was an extended amount of time in the company of the Fields' worth seeing the Royal City?

If it the decision had affected only herself then her response would have been in the negative, but it didn't. It was clear that her mother thought it a good idea and it would be nice to have finally done something before Lauren. What a sight that would be! Telling her that she was to see the city of the royal family, to see all the courtiers and knights. Her father would be very proud of her too....And then there was her new worry, life after twenty. She was more likely to meet somebody she liked if she broadened her search. This way she would be doing more than simply waiting for love to come to her.

And so, even though it went against her better judgment, Bella told the older women that yes, she would enjoy as well as appreciate a trip to the Royal City and thank you for offering.

Packing began immediately after Mrs Fields left the house. The company of three were to depart Forks at the end of the week. It would be a month long trip with four over night stops and one day full of travel before they reached the Royal City.

Her mother put all her best dresses into her traveling trunk, along with ribbons, hair ornaments and stockings. Once that could be packed for the time being was put away even Bella had grown to feel that perhaps this trip wouldn't be a complete waste of time. All sorts of things could happen; adventure, romance, intrigue and mystery....

Something exciting was bound to take place. In all the stories she had ever read or heard tell of magical things happened when young girls went on trips without their mothers and fathers. They met white rabbits with watches, fell into different worlds, found their one true loves and if anything even close to being as glamorous as that happened Bella felt that she should be satisfied with life forever.

Though magical adventures were certainly not a given she felt sure that there was a definite possibility of romantic escapades and covert undertakings. Perhaps she would wander away from the Fields' and find herself in a different land, or maybe while walking in the streets she would be suddenly whisked up and away by a knight on a white horse. Or maybe something less exciting would take place. She might meet a self-proclaimed witch who told her fortune, predicting riches that turned out to be nothing more than a scheme to steal her money. Possibly she'd find that nothing especially thrilling was to take place.

Who knew what would happen?

Bella was still dwelling on all the possibilities of her trip when she descended the staircase to the living room to say goodnight to her parents. She was just getting to the steps that squeaked when she heard them talking. Instead of making her presence known she sat down and listened to their conversation. She knew that it was wrong to eavesdrop, but she'd always wondered what they talked about when she wasn't around.

"They're saying that it's getting closer Charlie, and so far no one's been able to find any sort of cure for it."

"It's a ways out yet, all the way at the port right? Port Angeles, that's hundreds of miles from here Renèe, I don't think we need to be worrying yet."

Bella heard her mother's frustrated sigh. "It's skipped it's way across an ocean Charlie, I don't think a few hundred miles is going to stop it."

"We don't know that for sure," he reasoned. "And anyway, there isn't a point to getting riled up about it. If anything it will only weaken the functions."

Bella didn't know what they were talking about, but it sounded to her like some sort of illness. She wondered if was deadly. Shaking her head she finished her descent as loudly as she could, signaling to her parents that she was coming.

After being scolded for her noise making and another comparison to the savages Bella was sent on her way up to bed. She laid awake for a long while, listening to the rain as it fell outside; combined with the wind it made a sort of wooshing sound. Normally it would have lulled her to sleep, but tonight, for reasons unknown to her, it kept her awake. Her mind didn't seem to want to settle down and rest.

She kept worrying about what was to come. She had the strangest sense of foreboding, as if something terrible was going to happen.

"It's probably just because I've been thinking about all those strange things," she whispered to herself. "And even if something does happen, like my father said, there's no point getting all upset about it now."

Even though she knew that worrying was useless, it still took her over an hour to fall asleep, and she had unhappy dreams on top of that. All in all she hadn't exactly gotten a good nights sleep and when her mother came to get her up she simply pretended to be leaving her bed, before falling back in and going to sleep. Eventually Renèe forced her up and out of bed.

The day passed in the usual fashion. Renèe had a student to tutor and Charles went off to work in the fields. Bella was left to do her daily chores and that night she was so tired that she fell asleep at the dinner table. She was half awake as her mother dressed her for bed and tucked her in, manging to say "I love you" in a sleepy sort of way. Soon she was unconscious and that night she slept soundly.

A/N: Let me know if there were any major mistakes that I need to fix and PLEASE tell me what you think of it so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bella was in the market, trailing behind her mother as she picked around, looking for sales and bargains. The tailor was selling fabric at a low price and apples were two for one at Miss Chestnut's stall.

These sorts of things had never interested Bella, shopping and financial worries. Her mother seemed to enjoy hunting for deals and negotiating with sellers was her specialty, but Bella didn't understand why she found the job so appealing. Maybe it was something that happened after one was married. Lots of things didn't happen until after you had settled down. Things that her mother wouldn't talk to her about.

"When you're older Bella."

"Really Isabella, that is hardly appropriate."

"Maybe in a few years, dear."

She knew where babies came from, and she knew that it would hurt the first time, but what about after that? Did it still hurt? Why would anyone do something like that if it hurt? It sounded disgusting to start with and then there was the added pain of the 'act'.

She'd once had a discussion on the subject with Jessica, Lauren and Angela. They didn't know either and not a one of them had been able to get her mother to talk about it. It must be bad then.

So wrapped up in her thoughts was Bella that she didn't notice when her mother crossed the street to check the price at another stall for the same item; she was hoping for a lower cost. Bella continued walking down the lane and when she did finally look up to ask when they would be done she found that she was alone.

With a groan she slapped her little hand against her head. These sorts of things always happened to her. She really needed to learn to pay more attention to what was going on around her. She'd just have to back track.

She hadn't gone very far when, from out of a dark alley way, an old women approached her.

"You there, little girl."

Bella looked wildly around, hoping that there might be another child within the vicinity. When she saw that there was no one but herself she stepped a bit closer to the women. "Me you mean?" she asked, forgetting to be polite.

She smiled kindly at Bella. "Yes, are you lost my dear?"

Bella shook her head. "Not really, my mother is just down there," she pointed toward the market.

The women nodded thoughtfully. "You should keep close to your mother, and when you leave be sure to tell her that you love her."

Feeling extremely confused Bella nodded her head.

"Well," the gray haired women said. "I must be going, have a nice day Bella."

"Oh," she dipped a curtsy. "You too..." the old women was gone when Bella raised her head again.

Now two strange things had happened that week, and that was without counting the invitation from Mrs Fields which was odd in it's own right.

Bella shook her head at herself. Things just kept getting stranger.

She continued on and soon found her mother standing at a different stall; this one was selling silk ribbons.

"Oh, there you are Bella! Where did you run off too? You shouldn't do that you know, it isn't proper for a young, unmarried women to wander around alone."

With a roll of her eyes Bella nodded along with her mother's lecture. Not an hour later they were headed home again.

As soon as they walked through the door her mother dictated to Bella that she was to wash her hands and set to helping get dinner ready. They would be having roasted red potatoes, greens and beef.

Bella was standing on a small stool in from the sink pumping water into a pan so that she would be able to wash the potatoes when her father walked in. He had this sort of frantic look on his face, but it was only visible for a moment, because as soon as he realized that Bella had seen him he rearranged his features and offered an artificial smile. Her mother saw the look of worry and as soon as he'd said hello shooed him from the room, following behind him.

They went into the living room and Charles proceeded to explain to Renèe the latest news about the illness. It seemed that it was much more sever than anyone had expected it would be and was moving across the country side at an alarming rate. Already reports were coming into town that no one was allowed to leave the country. It was expected that the town would be under quarantine beginning the following week. No one would be permitted in or out.

Renèe resolved to speak to Mrs Fields the next day about what they would do regarding the trip and Charles seemed to think it a good idea as well. If anything they hopped that it was still on, they wanted Isabella, their only child, as far from the sickness as possible.

Bella didn't listen in on her parents conversation this time, feeling that it was probably about something didn't desire to know the details of. They would tell her if they felt it appropriate or necessary, until then she preferred to stay in the dark. Instead she continued on in her potato washing, waiting for her parents to return to the kitchen. When they did her mother went back to preparing the meat while her father left them to wash up.

Once Bella had done all that she could her mother sent her away to do whatever it was she did before dinner; as long as she stayed clean of course.

She didn't plan to travel far, only to stay in her yard. It was to close to dinner time and she was famished. She wandered aimlessly around the house, doing nothing in particular. It wasn't as if there was anything new to see or do.

Meandering along she cast her eyes about, looking for something to entertain her while she waited to be called back inside. The wind picked up a bit and tugged at Bella's hair; it seemed to her that it was asking for a playmate and she was happy to oblige. She skipped and hopped and ran in circles while chasing around her yard after leaves blowing in the current of air. This was something her mother wouldn't approve of. She only had a few days left to be improper though, and she refused to waste one minute of that time.

Sooner than she would have liked she heard Renèe calling for her. When Bella appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily and hair a mess, her mother simply stared at her before walking away without a word. It appeared that she'd given up for the night.

Dinner passed quietly and without incident, though Renèe did send Bella quite a few withering looks from across the table.

As soon as she was finished clearing the table Bella kissed her parents goodnight and went to bed. Her earlier running around and now full stomach left her feeling worn out. She fell asleep quickly and in the morning couldn't remember what she'd dreamed of.

The next couple of days passed in their usual fashion; nothing strange or unusual occurred. Bella met and spoke with her friends who reacted with satisfactory astonishment to her news. As expected Angela was the only one to be genuinely happy for Bella. She had nothing but good things to say and wished her friend the best time possible.

Jessica pretended to be excited for her. Her false happiness almost seemed real, and would have fooled anyone who didn't know her as well as the other three girls did. Internally she was seething with dislike. It hadn't always been that way; at one point she'd truly counted Bella as a friend. A few weeks back though she'd overheard Michael Newton speaking of "The Swan girl" in an overly flattering manner. Jessica had never so much as _tried_ to conceal her fondness for him and knowing that he preferred Bella over her was unacceptable.

Lauren made no secret of her jealously. Truth be told she had never really liked Bella. She was able to put up with her because she was of a slightly-lesser standing socially, this though, this was too much. The idea that Isabella Swan should get to visit the Royal City before herself was intolerably wrong. The Mallory family had money, more than most of the townspeople anyway, and it had always seemed to Lauren that she should be one of the first to do everything. She was positively green with envy.

Bella was able to ignore the green-eyed glares that Lauren had taken to sending her way whenever she was within range and did her best to disregard the nasty little things that she heard Jessica whisper to Michael Newton about her. He didn't believe them and even if he had it wouldn't have bothered her all that much. She had no feelings for the boy though Jessica seemed to believe she did.

Packing went on and soon her three trunks were full of everything she could possibly need. Her parents had even scrapped together a bit of money for her to take along. It was more than she'd been expecting and she was very grateful for it.

The end of the week came far to quickly for Bella. Though she was extremely excited to begin looking for whatever it was she was going to find she was also a bit frightened. She had never gone on an extended trip without her parents and they had taken few together. This would be her first time away from her mother and father for more than a night or two.

"Be a good girl and remember your manners please!"

"Have fun Bells, and please, for my sake, do as your mother says."

Many hugs and kisses and 'I love yous' were exchanged and then it was time. Bella waved to her parents from the window of the carriage as they drove away from her home, shouting out the window that she loved them and promising to be as ladylike as she could; ignoring the fact that ladies did not shout out of windows. As soon as they were out of sight Bella pulled her head back in just in time to Mr Fields cover his mouth, pretending to cough while he laughed, and Mrs Fields shake her head. Neither admonished her for her behavior, it would be quite a while before she saw her parents again and neither was so old or stuffy that they didn't remember what it was like to be without ones family for the first time.

The carriage ride was a novel experience for Bella, at least for the first hour or so. After that it became tedious and boring. All there was to see outside the windows were grass and trees. They traveled for many hours. They'd left very early in the morning and it was far past sunset when they stopped at an Inn. After a quick supper all retired for the night. Bella had a smaller room to herself next to the Fields'.

She thought about the days to come as she prepared for bed. It seemed that they wouldn't be nearly as exciting as she'd hopped for, but then again this was only the beginning. Perhaps they would be robbed, held at knife point, and a dashing man would come to their aid. He would save them, but be wounded while doing so. He would have to be cared for and Bella would take him as her charge. He would fall in love with her because of her gentle nature and loving caresses....

She fell to sleep imagining romantic escapades in which she was always the leading lady.

The next three days passed in much the same fashion, filled with long hours of travel with little to say or do and nighttime stops at small Inns for the night. When the day came for the final push to the Royal City Bella couldn't have been happier. She'd had her fill of the picturesque country setting. One could only get excited about cows and horses so many times before one decided that one would be glad to never see either type of animal ever again.

They made a stop in a town larger than Forks before setting off on their all day all night journey. The Fields' bought a hamper full of cold meats, cheeses, fruits and other little things. It would have to last them through lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day.

There were many nice things to look at in the shops in this town. Golden colored things seemed to be in style here. Many gilded little trinkets and baubles were being sold at stalls and shop front windows were advertising gold jewelry and clothing. It was all very pretty, and very expensive.

Bella noted that the fashions were different than those at home. The women wore close fitting dresses, carried fancy parasols, and elaborately styled hair was piled high atop their heads. The men seemed to be wearing makeup like the women did, as well as powered wigs. Bella wondered how they could be considered attractive when they were all so obviously unnatural. Everyone, even the children, were painted up to look like dolls.

She much preferred the natural style of the people of Forks and that of the other tourists in the town who, like herself, seemed slightly bemused by the extreme difference that only a few miles made.

Bella was trying very hard not to stare as she stood beside Mrs Fields, which was more than she could say for the child with a women whom he looked nothing like. It must have been his governess, he looked to be too old for a nanny.

The boy seemed to be a year or so older than herself and he was watching her with large blue eyes. He reminded her of Michael Newton, with his blond hair. Only, it didn't seem natural; it looked dyed. Bella looked around and noted that most of the other children who were obviously residents of the town looked the same as this boy. They all had yellow hair, and on most of them it didn't look quite right.

She glanced over her shoulder again, he was still staring. It was making her uncomfortable, was there something wrong with her face? Maybe he was thinking that she looked unusual because she wasn't made up the way he was. She felt her face begin to heat with embarrassment and anger. It wasn't fair, just because she didn't look like the other children, that gave him no right to judge her the way he obviously was.

With a little huff she turned away, resolving to ignore him. Silently she willed Mrs Fields to hurry up with her shopping. Unfortunately she didn't will hard enough because she soon felt a tap on her shoulder and heard a womens voice speaking to Mrs Fields.

She turned reluctantly to face the boy who'd been unabashedly staring at her.

"Hello," his voice was high and reedy. "My name is Aleron, I think you noticed me, I was standing over there," he paused while she nodded, unwilling to speak to him aloud. He seemed to be very self-confident, a bit to much so perhaps. Suddenly he looked down, away from her. "I—I wanted to give you this," he thrust his hand out at her.

For a moment she simply stared at his hand and then took what he was offering her. It was a little gold and white comb, a hair decoration. She was surprised by the gift, to say the least. She'd been sure he was quietly making fun of her and here he was presenting her with a present? What did he think he was doing? What could he possibly mean by it?

"Isabella," Mrs Fields nudged her.

"Oh!" Bella exclaimed, jolted back to the present. "Um, thank you?" At the look Mrs Fields gave her she continued. "Really, it's lovely, thank you."

That seemed to be good enough for Mrs Fields and the boy was pulled away by his governess not a moment later.

Bella noticed the self-satisfied smile on Mrs Fields face and wondered why it was there. With a shrug she followed as her companion told her it was time to return to the carriage.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, it's the end of Senior Year and the work is piling on! Blame my school district, not me. Let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bella didn't know what time it was when she woke, though she did remember falling to sleep while it was still light out. Carefully pushing aside the curtain to look outside she saw that the sun had set and stars were twinkling in the dark sky; a lone lantern produced a faint light through the window from where it hung.

The only sounds to be heard were the snores of Mr Fields and the clunking of the carriage as it rolled down the dirt road. She was jostled about as they went over small rocks and through large potholes. She was the only one awake at the moment. She wondered how long it would be before they finally reached the City.

She thought back to what had happened before she fell to sleep. They'd been visiting a town where the people were rather flamboyant. They, both the men and the women, painted themselves with makeup until you could hardly recognize anything individual about them. The children had dyed hair and the color gold was in fashion, accounting for the unnatural yellow of said hair. Bella felt that if the 'in' color was green each little boy and girl would be sporting grass-colored locks. One such child, a boy of nine or ten, had given her a pretty comb to decorate her hair with. She didn't understand why he'd done it, but Mrs Fields had gone on and on about it afterward. She'd told her husband that Bella had "captivated " the boy.

Bella wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that, but whatever it was she hadn't done it on purpose and she hopped she didn't do it again; not if it set Mrs Fields off in a tizzy the way it had each time it happened. Then again perhaps it was immaterial, there wasn't much she could do to stop an involuntary sort of thing.

"Captivated" though? What had she meant by using that particular word? She'd held his attention yes, but Mrs Fields seemed to mean more than that when speaking with her husband.

Bella sighed, settling back into the cushioned seat. Perhaps she didn't want to know what Mrs Fields was actually saying. She tried clear her mind, listening to the soothing sounds of Mr Fields' snores; they reminded her of her father. Soon she sleeping again, dreaming of the town they'd passed through and the artificially blond children there.

It was many hours later that she awoke, her neck sore and stiff from sitting in the same position for such a long time. The sun was high in the sky and the heat in the carriage was stifling. The Fields' were already alert.

"Isabella, hold still while I fix your hair, we're nearly there now and you must look presentable," Mrs Fields ordered.

She did as she was told and sat while Mrs Fields ran a brush through her hair and tied it back with a strand of blue satin ribbon.

The carriage soon stopped and once both the Fields were out Bella followed.

After only a glance at the city Bella's predominate emotion moved from boredom to shock. This was nothing like she'd imagined.

What Bella had seen in her head had changed over the past week or so. After the stop in what she now referred to as the Painted Town, she'd begun imagining that the Royal City was like that as well. Eccentric and fake. In her mind it made sense, the two places were so close together that it was likely enough that one would copy the other. Most probably the smaller, lesser known town would imitate the style of the Royal City.

She'd been wrong however. This city was nothing like the last. It was refined and elegant in an understated way. Here the ladies were the only ones to wear makeup, and though their dresses were lower cut than those seen in Forks it was but a minimal difference. In fact Bella decided that she preferred this style of dress to the one back home.

She stood quietly while the Fields' spoke with a passing Officer, with whom they happened to be acquainted, and watched the busy people pass by. Brightly colored dresses were in fashion here, with large, fluttering skirts and close fitting bodices. Both the women and younger girls carried parasols though fluffy white clouds floated through the sky, keeping the light of the sun from becoming overpowering while showing no threat of rain. The parasols seemed highly impractical, they would do little in a storm and were too delicate to hold up to wind. They were ruffled, lacy things, and though Bella conceded that they were pretty to look at, she thought to herself that she should have no use for one.

I do prefer it here, she thought, to the last town. It isn't like Forks though and I am not ashamed to admit that I would rather be there.

Her critical eye continued to observe the happenings until her attention was recalled to the scene by Mrs Fields.

"Isabella," she said. "We are ready to enter the Inn now, come child, pray you mind your feet. I know of your uncoordinated nature and you must not let yourself be distracted. Watch where you step."

Bella felt her face heat at the mention of her clumsiness, it wasn't in anger exactly, more embarrassment. If there was one thing that Isabella Swan did not want mentioned in the presence of strangers it was her one major flaw.

Though embarrassed Bella took the advice to heart, for the sake of proving Mrs Fields wrong, and carefully followed them across the street and into the Broderek Inn. It was one of the less expensive Inn's, though in Bella's eyes it was still far higher-priced than it needed to be, and because of it's location inside the Royal City it was a bargain. The Inn was nice enough, built with dark, rich red wood, with crystal chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. Bella was deeply impressed by the high quality of the furniture that decorated the rooms and their respective layouts.

There were four wooden columns in all, all immediately within view; they stood two in a row each about seven feet apart. A large window was directly across from the entrance and showed a garden and a fountain outside. The reception desk was to the left, between two windows, and that was where the Fields' and Bella went.

They were met by a fairly pretty young women who identified herself as Mary-Elizabeth the daughter of the Inn's owner. Bella immediately decided that she liked her, she had a nice face and looked as if she was a kind person. Mary-Elizabeth took their names, gave them their room keys and after giving them directions to their room and a paper with meal times written on it, sent them on their way.

They followed the staircase in the corner up to the second floor landing. A long hallway stood before them with four doors on either side three of which lead to simple one room sleeping quarters. On each side one room took up the space of two, with a bed and a sitting room. Mr and Mrs Fields had taken one of each, the bigger for themselves, the smaller for Bella. She wasn't about to complain, this room was much more sophisticated than her own. She felt that she would quite enjoy staying there.

It was simple enough containing a bed, a dresser with a large, rectangular mirror hanging behind it and two windows. It had a stone fireplace, a big squashy armchair with a footstool and a stocked bookcase. Another crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting rainbows about the room and two unlit oil lamps sat atop the dresser along with a washbowl. The walls were painted a bright, cheerful yellow, the bedspread was deep blue and the floors were made of the same dark, red wood as the rest of the Inn and the room's furniture. All in all it was a very nice, and spacious.

"Isabella, please unpack your things and wash for lunch. We'll do a little sightseeing after we've had a good meal."

She followed Mrs Fields' directions and was putting her clothing into the dresser when a loud yelp sounded from outside. Placing the dress she was holding in the open drawer she quickly moved to the window, pushed it open and looked out. A darkish skinned boy with jet black hair was backing away from an angry looking woman holding a broom with his hands raised.

"Hey," he was saying. "Don't kill the messenger! I was sent to get it by the palace cook!" He held out a note and the upset shop owner snatched it from him.

After looking it over the women sighed, seeming annoyed and resigned. She beckoned the boy and he followed her into the shop.

Bella turned from the window, a slight smile on her face. That had been an entertaining exchange. The boy was funny, where had he said he was from? The palace? He couldn't possibly be...?

No, no. She shook her head at herself. That boy was definitely not Price Edward, most likely he was a kitchen hand on an errand. He had mentioned the palace cook after all. She needed to stop letting her imagination get away with her.

A knock sounded on the door. "Isabella? Are you finished? We're ready to go down to eat now."

"Umm, nearly!" she rapidly threw her things into their respective drawers, resolving to fix and fold them later. After splashing water on her face and quickly drying it she left to follow the Fields' down to the dining room.

There were four tables in all, each surrounded by chairs; three other people were already there and eating lunch. A currently cold fireplace sat at the end of the room. There was one window here and a door to right of the room that Bella assumed opened to the kitchen. They took their seats and were promptly waited upon.

The waters came first, then a chicken sandwich for Mr Fields, a baby greens salad for Mrs Fields, and a bacon, lettuce, tomato pasta salad for Bella. Everything was well made and tasted wonderful. As soon as they were finished they took to the street for a walk.

They passed by many knick-knack shops and stopped in a few. Mrs Fields bought things for Rosalie and her nephew, Jasper. Mr Fields pretended to listen while his wife spoke about the things she was interested in and Bella ignored them both concentrating instead on the people walking past the shops they stopped in through the windows.

They were all so interesting! Many carried a casually unconcerned expression on their faces, looking down their noses at everyone they passed. They failed to impress Bella, who saw nothing but arrogance and the contempt they clearly felt for others. Some though she didn't mind as much. A few even walked by with smiles on their faces. Bella was having a grand time envisioning what the lives of those people must be like. She imagined that they were going to visit relatives, or maybe to the palace to take a tour like she and the Fields' would be doing.

"Come Isabella, we have finished here."

She followed behind the adults as they left the shop and went back onto the street. They wandered for a time before turning around, walking back toward the Inn. On the way there Bella saw the boy she'd observed from her window. He was carrying a basket filled with meats, cheeses and fruits. Her eyes zeroed in on the pears, her favorite fruit. They were rare in Forks and extremely expensive; she nearly never had occasion to eat one.

He noticed her too, though for reasons other than fruit. She was very pretty in her white dress and blue sash. Her long, wavy brown hair blew slightly in the wind and caught the sun.

Just at that moment Mr and Mrs Fields' attention was called by two old friends. They began conversing and Bella was forced to stand by while they did so. The boy took his chance while it presented itself.

"Excuse me," he said to her. "I couldn't help by notice how bored you looked, and wondered if you might need someone to entertain you?" he smiled brightly at her.

She smiled back. "Yes, I do actually, I'm Isabella, but all my friends call me Bella," she held out her hand and he shook it while speaking.

"My name is Jacob, and all my friends call me Jacob." He grinned and so did she.

They spoke easily about anything that came to mind, and wandered a little ways aways from the adults. They even shared a pear, taking bites one after the other without once worrying about cooties. By the time the Fields' had finished speaking to their friends Bella and Jacob had become friends as well. He promised to see her again and she told him that she would be looking forward to it.

The party of three returned to the Inn shortly after and soon ate their dinner, retiring afterward to bed.

A/N: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW~!!~(or I won't update...*humph*) Things will start to pick up soon, I promise!! By the way, on my profile I've posted links to pictures of the layout of the Inn and Bella's room at the Inn; check them out!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Bella had trouble falling to sleep that night. She couldn't stop thinking about how unlike this bed compared to her own. It was too soft; she missed her scratchy blankets and lumpy pillow. The Inn was quite, the building newly built, and hadn't yet developed any creaking floorboards. No one was awake at this time of night and Bella was sure that she was the only lying sleepless.

How she missed her fathers loud snores and the whooshing of the wind and rain that so often found it's way to Forks. She wanted to be back inside her old, rundown house with the creaking and squeaking sounds it made as it settled.

She was feeling homesick.

The tears made themselves known then. Sniffling and snuffling ensued and for a good ten minutes she allowed her eyes to leak freely before pushing herself out of bed and lighting one of the oil lamps.

After wiping away the last of the wet drops she pulled out a piece of parchment paper and proceeded to pen a letter home.

_Dear Mother and Father,_

_I don't want you to think that I'm not having a nice time, because I am. Everything is very pretty here and the people are interesting to watch. They wear different clothing here in the Royal City and though I like some of it I prefer the clothes in Forks. I must admit that I am feeling a little, tiny bit homesick (but don't tell Lauren that) and I do miss you very much, but I promise to be a good and proper lady regarless. I will bring you back a present._

_Love you forever,_

_Bella Marie_

With a self-satisfied smile she carefully laid the paper out so the ink on it would dry. Writing the note had made her feel a million times better about being away from home. She decided to send it the next day and soon she would be receiving one back. The thought of reading a letter sent by her parents instantly calmed her and she was able to climb back into bed and fall to sleep.

The night passed swiftly and before she knew it Bella was being awakened by Mrs Fields. She washed, dressed and met her caretakers in the dining hall where she ate a sticky bun and had a glass of milk for breakfast. As soon as they were all finished they set out to take a tour of the palace, the highlight of the day. Even Bella was looking forward to observing the Royal lifestyle.

They took the carriage and fifteen minutes after eight they were at the gates of the Royal Palace. A crowd had gathered and other carriages were also pulling up and letting their occupants out; they were all there to take the first tour of the day. Bella wondered if it might have been better to wait until later in day and take the second or third tour, but neither of the Fields' seemed to have any qualms with the large group. Indeed Mrs Fields took to conversing with other ladies and Mr Fields spoke to the husbands of cards and smoking. Bella was introduced as Isabella and she came to understand that she would be expected to be prim and proper throughout the duration of the guided tour.

Very little fun would be had.

At exactly eight and thirty minutes the tour began and all were led into the palace. Bella was immediately overwhelmed by the richness and splendor of it all. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, marble columns stood tall and imposing, clouds and angels were painted up high and the furniture was unlike any that she had ever seen.

She followed behind the mass, a bit on her own, but still close enough to see what was going on and hear the things that the guide spoke about. The Fields' weren't overly worried about her and made no attempt to pull her back to the group, nor did anyone else. She took her time, lingering on the details and allowing her imagination to act out possible scenes that may have taken place in the rooms they passed through.

While walking down a hallway they were directed to look into the kitchen, where Bella noticed her new friend, and he her. She gave a small wave to Jacob as she passed by the doorway and his eyes lit with a little more than friendly recognition. As soon as he could get away he followed after the tour group.

He took a shortcut to get ahead of them and hid himself behind a hanging tapestry. It was only five minutes later that the band of visitors made their way to the room he was in.

"Bella," he whispered once he had her within his sight from behind the wall hanging.

She turned quickly and saw him beckoning to her. She only had a minute to make her decision. No one was paying her any attention. She was almost sure that she wouldn't be missed by anyone, and as long as Jacob got her back before the tour ended no one need know of their escapades.

So she did exactly what she knew she wasn't supposed to do. Bella moved inconspicuously over to the place were Jacob was standing and quickly and quietly slipped behind the carpet. They stood silently and motionlessly until all was silent. Jacob peaked out first and after giving the go ahead both he and Bella took his shortcut back to kitchen.

Once there they each breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi Bella," Jacob said, a goofy smile on his face.

"Hi Jacob," she smiled back.

He offered her his hand and she accepted. He took her into the kitchen where they were met with much cooing and awwing. Apparently the sight of the two of them together was "utterly adorable." Even Cook, a stern faced older man, was persuaded to keep the adventure a secret.

Each child was given a small plate of stew and a piece of bread, the kitchen hand lit a candle and placed in on the wooden table where they sat. Neither Jacob or Bella were able to understand exactly why the women in the kitchen found their friendship so endearing; they fluttered around and over the two while they ate and chatted.

Conversation flowed easily between them, just as it had when they'd first met and all too soon they were finished with their snack and it was time for Bella to return to the tour group.

She and Jacob crept quietly through the hallways, being careful to hide when anyone was heard walking toward them. They had stopped behind a curtain when a voice sounded.

"Have you heard the news?"

Another spoke, "No, of what?"

"The sickness! It has wiped out the entire town of Forks!"

A soft gasp escaped from between Bella's lips, Jacob turned his head to look at her. Tears were welling up in her bright, brown eyes and her nose was turning red. It was a moment before he realized what this information meant to her. She'd told him all about her trip with the Fields', and her family. They, her father and mother, were from Forks.

"The children were evacuated just a few days ago, and the entire township was quarantined."

He put his arms around her and as soon as the gossiping maids were out of earshot Bella lost herself to her grief and tears.

It was some time before she was able to think and even longer before she could speak; by that time the tour had ended and her absence discovered. Guards had been dispatched to look for her.

Jacob tried very hard to persuade her to move with him to a better hiding spot and had just resolved on picking her up and carrying her when they were found. The guard was a young one, he had curly brown hair and brown eyes. He was tall, well over six feet and extremely muscular. He introduced himself as Emmett and as it turned out, despite his imposing appearance, he was more of a large teddy bear. After listening to Jacob explain the circumstances surrounding the current situation, and a fresh round of tears from Bella, he led the two of them to Mr and Mrs Fields.

The Fields' had heard tell of the state of affairs in Forks during the tour, which was why, as they explained, they had been so anxious to find Bella. They'd hoped to avoid a scene like the one that was currently playing out. Jacob was dismissed and Emmett led the party of three to the gate.

Though they tried their best neither Mr nor Mrs Fields were able to calm Bella's fragile emotions; though they assured her that they were sure everything would be fine she simply could not bring herself to believe what they said. Deep down inside she had the terrible feeling that things were _not_ going to be alright.

"Isabella dear," Mrs Fields said as she tried to persuade Bella to come down to dinner. "Your mother and father, wherever they may be, would not want you to skip meals. It is abominably unhealthy and presents a poor image."

She'd closed herself in her room as soon as they had returned to the Inn and hadn't eaten lunch. She still didn't have an appetite for anything when dinner time arrived, but what Mrs Fields said was true; her mother would worry if she knew that she wasn't eating. Bella allowed herself to be brought to the dining room and ate what was put in front of her with no enthusiasm.

She went directly to bed afterward. Thoughts of the night past came to her as she lay on her stomach, her face buried under her pillow and she once again began to cry. There was no point in sending her letter now, she was sure of it. The recipients would never read it; she would keep it though. There was no logical reason, not really, but she never wanted to forget them. As one grew older, one sometimes forgot things. Memories became fuzzy and indistinct as aging took place, that was inevitable, but she would not forget _them_. She would not forget how much they'd loved her and how much she still loved them.

Whatever happened next she would grow up to be the girl they'd always wanted her to be. She would do her best in any situation that came her way. Charles and Renèe had raised her to make the best of things and in the few moments before she fell to sleep she silently promised them, herself and God that she would.

A/N: Reviews would be awesome and much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When reports of the sickness came in the next day she was not at all surprised. The bulletin board in the Square had lists upon lists of the names of those confirmed dead because of the illness and both Charlie and Renèe were cataloged among them. At least half the adults in the township of Forks had been struck down; it was also being reported that children from all over the Kingdom had long since been evacuated from infected towns and sent to relatives and volunteers. Said towns had also been quarantined; no one in and no one out. They party couldn't even return to collect their possessions.

Bella may have been young, but she was certainly not stupid. Her parents hadn't made any arrangements for her to leave for a long period of time, they would have spoken to her about it first. She had no family as her grandparents on either side were long dead and both her mother and father had been only children like herself. She had no where to go, and nothing to take along with her while she went.

The Fields' had yet to comment on Bella's situation, they did not know what to say. Not only that, but their niece and nephew, Rosalie and Jasper, were on their way to stay with their Aunt and Uncle. Their city, Olympia, had recently received orders for the evacuation of the children. The removal of the children was mandatory and as the Fields' were their only relatives they were to take up residence with them.

Bella used the time it took for the two to arrive in the Royal City to better compose herself. She was able to come to grips with the situation and resolved to keep her head held high. There were sure to be difficult times ahead and depression would not help her to get through them as she would have too.

Long ago Renèe had explained to her daughter the ways of the world. The events in ones life did not always go the way one wanted them too, and often it seemed as if the worst possible occurrence was the one that took place. "When it rains it pours," she'd said. Bella firmly believed that she was experiencing that precise metaphor.

"But the sun has to come out sometime," she said to herself.

She was pondering the implications of her predicament while wandering around the rock pool in the garden of the Inn. She lowered herself toward the ground, balancing on the balls of her feet as she watched the large, golden colored fish swim round in circles. She was so engrossed in her contemplating that she failed to notice when Jacob came up behind her.

"Bella?" he asked.

She very nearly fell into the pool of water. "Oh!" she gasped as she rocked back on her heels, her arms held out for balance. She stood quickly and turned to face him. "Jacob, you startled me!"

He choked back his laughter. "Yes, it looks like I did," his eyes suddenly lost their light as his reason for seeking her out came back to him. "I uh, heard...about...you know."

Bella heaved a sigh. "Did you?" she glanced at the ground, gathering her courage.

"Is it true? That your parents...died?"

"Yes."

"Uhh," he swallowed loudly. "So, are you alright?"

"Yes, and before you ask I mean it. I really am alright," she took a deep breath. "I don't exactly know what will happen now, I have no family so I suppose I will be sent to an orphanage, but I can handle it."

Jacob frowned at her. "You shouldn't have to handle it. You're a girl."

She rolled her eyes. "That has nothing to do with anything Jacob. Absolutely nothing. It doesn't matter that I'm a girl, I have no one left and that is that," she folded her arms across her chest. "I _have_ to handle it."

"You don't," he argued. "Because I'll handle it for you. I swear it Isabella Marie Swan. I will take care of you, or at least this."

"Jacob," she didn't know what to say him. He seemed determined to do as he'd said. "That isn't necessary, but," she relented. "If it makes you feel better to try, go ahead. It isn't as if I can stop you."

They parted soon afterward and Bella returned to the Inn where she found the Fields' waiting in the reception area.

"Isabella," Mrs Fields waved her over. "Come, come, we will sit to lunch once Rosalie and Jasper have arrived. They are to be here shortly."

Bella settled into one of the chairs around the unlit fireplace and readied herself for the wait. 'Soon' to Mrs Fields was half an eternity to Bella and sure enough it was nearly an hour before the two arrived.

She was immediately struck by the outstanding beauty of the girl, Rosalie. She was like a living piece of art. Her blond hair was long, down to the middle of her back, in waves and her eyes were blue as forget-me-nots. She was tall, statuesque and carried an air of self-importance about her.

Jasper, Rosalie's twin, she noticed next. He had been blessed with blond hair and blue eyes as well, but they did not make him look feminine. Bella was able to spot his muscular form though he was mostly hidden by clothing. The vibe she got from him was much less intimidating than Rosalie; he seemed to be a humble sort of person and may have been feeling a little bit embarrassed by his sister's obvious arrogance.

"Rosalie, Jasper!" Mrs Fields exclaimed as they came closer. She and Rosalie air kissed and she gave Jasper a quick hug. Mr Fields greeted them as well. "This is Isabella, the little girl we brought along in your absence, Rosalie."

All Bella received was a disdainful glance and a quiet hello. She stood to the side while Mrs Fields fired off questions pertaining to all things trivial and dull. They retired to the dining room soon thereafter and partook in a buffet style meal. Bella found that it was easy enough to ignore Rosalie's glowers and spoke with Jasper instead. He had a great many interesting and informative things to say and Bella found that she quite liked him.

After lunch Bella was commissioned by Mrs Fields to show the newcomers around town. She also wondered aloud whether or not they ought to take another tour of the palace.

Jasper readily followed Bella out of the Inn while Rosalie petitioned to be allowed to stay behind, citing drowsiness after the long trip. She was denied and forced to participate in the guided excursion, a burden she bore far from gracefully.

"Being led about town by a _child_."

"Rose..."

The three walked so far as the gates to the palace where Bella described the rooms in as much detail as she could remember.

She was ignored by Rosalie and questioned by Jasper who wanted to know about the most obscure details, many of which Bella did not know the answers to. He didn't seem too disappointed however, confident that he would soon see the place for himself.

Rosalie walked a few paces ahead of Bella and Jasper, so as not to associate herself with the child. When she was far enough away Bella asked, "Why doesn't she like me?"

Jasper chuckled softy and after glancing at his sister back answered. "It isn't you personally, not yet at least. Rose is just...very self-centered."

As they wandered back toward the Inn Bella was called out by Jacob who, along with another man Bella vaguely remembered seeing once before, crossed the street to greet them.

"This is Emmett," Jacob introduced to Jasper and reintroduced to Bella.

Emmett, she remembered now. He was the very big, very imposing knight in training who had found her and Jacob when she was in tears over the death of her parents. She could feel a blush making it's way onto her face and quickly focused on Emmet himself.

He seemed taller than she remembered, well over six feet, and had short, brown curly hair as well as brown eyes. His smile was friendly as he bowed to Bella and shook hands with Jasper.

"He's a knight in training," Jacob told Jasper before turning and noticing that there were three, not two, travelers. "Wow, who's the other blond?"

Bella observed him for a moment before responding. "That's Rosalie, she's very pretty isn't she?"

"Huh?" Jacob turned to Bella. "Pretty? Yeah, I guess so, but I was talking about her attitude. I haven't even met her and I don't like her," he laughed.

Bella was unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face. "Normally I wouldn't condone that type of flash judgment, but since your right..." They both glanced at Rosalie who was flirting with Emmett and broke into hysterical laughter, causing the one in question to turn and glare; it did not have the desired effect and instead of stifling them it served only to prolong their activity.

Jacob sobered and the laughter died away. "Bella? Remember when I said I would find a way to take care of your," his eyes darted toward the spot where Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie were standing. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Situation?"

"Yes, Jacob. I remember," she shifted her weight to one foot , leaning back slightly to see his face, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

It was actually quite a funny sight. A small for her age seven year old girl, wearing a white dress with a pink sash that stopped just above her knees, a matching pink ribbon in her hair and knee high lacy socks with pink colored shoes, staring skeptically at a slightly darker skinned boy who was both taller and stronger than she. He even looked a bit frightened of her. More than a few passersby chuckled at the pair as they walked passed.

"Well," he gulped. "I did."

"How?" she asked, deadpanned.

"I uh, spoke to the cook, you know at the palace, about what happened. Anyway he felt really terrible about everything and requested that you be allowed to come and work," he spoke quickly now, his words flowing together in his haste to make himself understood. "He conversed with the King directly and we've been given permission to offer you a post as a scullery maid. You'll have food, a bed, and pay! Everything Bella! We get to work together, you could stay with me. Isn't that better than going far away to be with people and children you don't know at all? Isn't this good?" he asked earnestly.

Bella felt the all too familiar prickle of tears. Hastily she wiped them away, pretending to have gotten something in her eyes. "I-I don't know exactly what to say Jacob," she turned to glance at the others, Emmett who knew about Bella's state of affairs had stealthily maneuvered them a few feet away. "Except that, yes, that would be much better."

Jacob's trademark grin stretched across his face and he pulled Bella to him for a hug, pushing her away again and turning red when a couple passing by said "Aww".

"So I'll uh, see you later then," he prepared to beat a hasty retreat, and was pulling an unwilling Emmett away from Rosalie when a women suddenly came running down the street in a clearly hysterical fashion. Bella recognized her as Mary-Elizabeth, the Inn keepers daughter.

"Someone's poisoned the apples!" she shouted. "The apples have been poisoned! Five have died! Do not touch the apples!" she stopped to take a breath.

For a moment everyone who had listened to the womens declaration stood still and silent; then the pandemonium began. Mothers slapped fruits of all kinds out of their children's hands and many a basket was dropped. A few shrikes were heard and soon mounted police arrived, confirming the women's tale and adding details.

"Aunt Jacquelin!" Rosalie exclaimed when descriptions of those struck down were given. "And Uncle Roger!"

"This cannot be happening," Bella moaned.

But it had, both the Fields' had eaten apples at lunch and had passed quietly away without pain while napping not an hour later.

"Well, Bella you can start right away..." Jacob trailed off.

Emmett broke in, patting Rosalie's hand. "I'm sure you can come back with us too, they can't expect you to stay alone. Your parents need to be notified."

The five traversed back to the Inn where people were being questioned, but they were left alone as they made their ways to their rooms. They quickly packed what they had and as Jasper had brought only a bag of clothes with him he and Emmett were able to carry the girls trunks outside where a man with a cart was very obliging and drove them down to the palace for a small fee. Rosalie made a point of saying that she had never ridden in an open air _cart_ before.

When they entered the palace they were met with much confusion. Emmett explained what had taken place in the square and the Hale twins were then welcomed with sympathetic murmurs. They waited in the kitchens while Emmett when to speak with the King.

Jacob and Bella left the twins in the kitchen so that he could show her where she would be staying. It was a little room with a bed, dresser and window just a hall away from the kitchen. He explained her duties to her; she was to clean and scour the floors, stoves, sinks, pots and dishes. After scouring the plates in the scullery, she would leave them on racks to dry. She would also assist in cleaning vegetables, plucking fowl, and scaling fish.

"It isn't so very different from what I did at home," she commented. "I suppose I will have to wear a uniform?"

"Yes," Jacob nodded.

Bella took a small step into the room that was now hers. "Well, I...I'll have to make the best of it."

"That's the spirit Bells," Jacob took her hand in his. "Everything will be fine, you'll see."

A/N: Reviews to me are like chocolate to girls after a breakup. I _need_ them. As always please let me know if I've done anything embarrassingly wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N: _Italics_ represent a flashback or a dream sequence. Don't worry, I don't think you'll be confused. By the way there is an _**IMPOTRANT A/N AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!**_ Thank you.

Jacob had been correct, as he usually was; life went on for Isabella Swan and though not quite in the usual fashion she was quickly able to adapt to the change. Time passed rapidly in the palace and Bella showed that she was neither inept or unwilling when it came to preforming her duties as scullery maid and as the years went by she was elevated in position.

Ten years, one-hundred twenty months exactly had passed since her first day as a working girl. She could hear the town's newly built clock chiming midnight now.

How things had changed!

She, for example, had grown in both body and spirit. Isabella, as she was now known to anyone other than her closest and dearest friends, even herself, was unmistakably a women. She had curves in the chest and hip area and she had lost the chubbiness that had come with being the daughter of Charles Swan. Her brown locks were nearly always done up in a knot and though her brown eyes still occasionally sparkled they were darkened with the knowledge of the world and those in it, an awareness she'd gained over the years past.

Isabella had moved from idealistic child to realistic adult. Her plans for the future were geared toward what was deemed respectable, not simply what she wanted. Her dreams had changed, her life had changed, everything was new and different.

They had crept upon her slowly, the alterations in her state of mind. She hadn't truly noticed them as they'd happened; she'd moved from seven to seventeen in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

She now lay in bed and all was dark and quiet. Everyone was sleeping, resting up for the next day which was sure to be filled with excitement and difficult work. Prince Edward Cullen's twenty-th birthday celebration was set to be the biggest event the country had ever seen. Though his actual birthday wasn't for three more days the party was beginning in ten hours time. Guests had been arriving for the past two weeks. Kings, queens, princes, princesses, lords and ladies, all would be in attendance.

"Ugh," Isabella rubbed at her eyes as she thought over the last few days.

She'd been a chambermaid for quite sometime now and her duties included cleaning and caring for the bedrooms. Normally that involved little things like dusting, using the rolling carpet cleaner, and changing the linens in guest rooms; simply keeping them presentable. Now however those rooms were occupied and fires had to be made in the fireplaces, clothing retrieved and brought to the bottom floor for washing, and many of the guest had made strange and extravagant requests.

A princess from the kingdom of Beznya wished for rose scented water to be sprinkled about her room. The king of Bridgeport, who was a highly superstitious man, requested that all the mirrors in his room be turned over before he went to sleep at night. Many asked for things like gold painted flowers in marble vases, pillows made with the feathers of rare, exotic birds, and other things Isabella would have never even thought to think of.

She shook her head at the self-serving attitudes of the nobles. It still surprised her, even after all these years, how egotistical they were. What had they ever done to gain the prestige they now had? Nothing. They'd been born to money and in money they would stay.

With pride she thought of the royal family of Washington. King Carlisle, and Queen Esme were nothing like the other rulers. They were kind, intelligent and concerned for the well being of their subjects. They invested time and money in projects like establishing libraries and hospitals. Queen Esme was known for her outstanding capacity to love; she frequently visited orphanages, spent much of her time promoting volunteer programs and participated in charity work of all kinds.

King Carlisle, Isabella believed, would have become a doctor had his older brother not abdicated for the war, leaving him to the throne. His passion seemed to be with the sick. When the illness had hit he'd invested as much as could be spared in finding a cure, or at the very least treatment, for the disease. He'd commissioned the best physicians in the country and it had eventually been discovered that a combination of the plants sea buckthorn, peppermint, and elderberry helped with the symptoms. As soon as the mixtures validity had been established jars upon jars of the substance were sent out to infected towns and cities. Something called oral rehydration therapy had also been developed and used to help; Isabella didn't exactly understand what the therapy was, but that was neither here nor there. It had taken nearly two years for things to settle down, but the illness had not been seen since.

Yes, the King and Queen of her country were very responsible and caring leaders, how their son had turned out to be nearly the polar opposite of them was a mystery to her.

It should be mentioned that Isabella's opinion of Prince Edward Cullen was not held by the general public. His subjects saw in him the many good qualities of his parents as well as musical talents, and extreme generosity. Her opinion was influenced by personal encounters with the man; the first of which had taken place on her first full day in the palace.

Her thoughts drifted backward, toward the beginning of her journey to where she now was. She remembered how Jacob had explained to her what life in the palace was like for children like them. He'd told her about his work, and about what hers would be. She also remembered how frightened she'd felt when he'd told her that he wouldn't be staying in the palace overnight like she would.

"_I live with my father," he said. "He's lost use of his legs and now works at home as a carpenter. I work to help support us. He needs me there whenever I can get away."_

"_I understand," Bella told him. "I will be fine," it was only a little lie._

Not much else had happened that day; she was instructed by the recently promoted scullery maid on her duties and she had watched how they were preformed. Cook had given her a list of things to be done each day and then she had gone to bed. She had gotten through the night with as few tears as possible.

The first night had been the hardest though. Being alone in a dark room in a place you don't know is hard for anybody, but harder still for a child who had lost everything she'd ever known...

She shook those thoughts away, moving forward with her reminiscing. A quiet laugh escaped her as the memory of meeting Alice jumped to the forefront of her mind; typical of Alice, to hop her way to where she wanted to be.

_Morning came quickly and her first official day on the job began. She didn't find the work she was given too strenuous and even if it had been she would not have complained. She had promised her parents that she would do the best she could and she did._

_She'd been given a break about mid-day for lunch. She and Jacob had planned to eat outside in the garden, but he'd been delayed._

"_Just go right and then straight until you see a big tree with lots of leaves. You'll know it when you see it."_

_She'd set out on her own, carrying her little packaged meal with her. It was a fine day; free of rain and dark clouds. In fact the sky was a bright blue, the sun shone happily and fluffy white clouds told stories in the air._

_She'd found the spot easily, just as Jacob had said she would, but it was already occupied. Another girl who was very small, both height and weight wise, with short, straight black hair and the bluest eyes Bella had ever seen was sitting in the shade of the big tree. _

_Bella hesitated, her steps coming to a halt. What if this girl didn't want to be disturbed? Perhaps it would be better to turn back and go sit elsewhere._

_As she decide upon doing just that the girl raised her head from her sandwich and called out; her voice was a high soprano. "Excuse me, but would you mind sitting with me?"_

_Her trademark blush found it's way onto her face and the pixie like girl laughed. "Do not be embarrassed! Come on," she patted the patch of grass beside her. "I won't bite!"_

_Bella shuffled forward, throughly discomfited, and sat as the small girl had asked her to._

"_My name is Mary Alice Brandon, but you can call me Alice," Bella opened her mouth to introduce herself, but this Alice plowed right on. "I know who you are. You're Isabella Swan, and you like to be called Bella by your friends. I already know that we'll be best, best, best friends so I'll call you Bella," she bounced as she spoke, a wide, toothy smile on her face._

"_You know?" Bella questioned doubtfully. "How?"_

_Alice shrugged, taking another bite of her sandwich. "I jush dhoo," she spoke with her mouth full. Once she'd swallowed she continued. "I know a lot of things, but I don't know how," her eyes lit with excitement. "We can work on that, it will be our first friendship exercise!"_

"_Our what?"_

"_I've compiled a whole list of them, but I hadn't thought of this one yet..." Alice went on and on for at least ten minutes about all the things they were going to do together. _

_In that time Bella learned that Alice was eight and an orphan, like herself; Alice, however, had very few memories of her family as they had given her up because of her medical difficulties and money troubles when she was only four._

"_Sometimes I start shaking. I faint, and I don't feel or remember anything about it, but when I wake...that's when I learn about things that are going to happen," she shrugged. "It has always been that way for me, I wouldn't know how to live without it!"_

"_It sounds like a terribly convenient inconvenience," Bella interjected with a giggle and Alice giggled along with her; her laugh was like chiming bells. Bella wished her laugh could sound like that._

"_Yes, I suppose it is that way," she looked thoughtful. "I think that if I hadn't had my fits I would have been in that awful orphanage forever. They, my parents I mean, would have had to give me up anyway, even if I hadn't always been so ill I mean. I remember a little about them, my father liked to drink and gamble; my mother was a drinker too. In the orphanage, they whispered that her habit was why I was so sick."_

"_Oh," Bella replied, not knowing what else to say._

"_Anyway, Queen Esme often visited the place they put me in, it's only a three days journey from here. I'm sure she felt sorry for me. King Carlisle must have too," she nodded sagely. "Everyone knows about his aptitude for doctoring, and he personally delivered medication for me to take. It helped a lot for a while, and then it just seemed to stop and no one could figure out why. I began taking it when I was five and it ended at seven, which was when they hired me."_

"_Well that was very kind of them," Bella's admiration for her rulers had grown exponentially during Alice's shortened version of a biography. She didn't think kind was the correct word to describe the actions of the king and queen, but it was the only one she could think to use at the moment._

"_Yes, I take new medication now and it works well."_

She and Alice had grown to be as close as sisters in the years that followed. Isabella knew that she could count on her for absolutely anything, even when she didn't know she needed Alice for counting on.

How is it, she wondered, that everyone but me always seems to know what's going on? Alice and Jacob...they always seem to know what to do. I however am almost always completely in the dark and without a candle to light.

She grimaced as another memory from her first day pushed itself forward, one that was far less than pleasant. The incident had been the catalyst for cumulative months of annoyances, anger, hurt and frustration.

_She'd been outside with Jacob and Alice, their duties done for the day and supper finished. They'd planned to have a peaceful walk about the grounds before Jacob had to leave for the night. They strolled along the avenue talking in whispers when all of a sudden a body appeared before them._

_It bowed and then said, "Alice, good evening to you."_

_Recognition dawned on Alice and she hastily dropped a curtsies and replied, "A good evening to you, Your Highness."_

_The realization hit Bella like a frying pan to the head. This was the prince! Price Edward! The one all the girls in Forks gossiped about and planned their weddings around. Right here in front of her._

Isabella put a sudden stop to the gush of memories and shoved this one back, bent on not thinking of it. With great determination she filled her mind instead with a green meadow, a fence and an unending line of sheep.

She soon fell into a restless slumber.

* * *

There were things about that first meeting that consciously Isabella did not want to remember. In her dreams however was another story; in sleep she was unconscious and had no control over what happened in her mind.

It began where she'd fought to end it and in her dream she stood as a nonparticipant, a viewer watching a play. An omnipresent narrator told of all the unspoken things and she could do nothing as the scene played out in front of her.

_It was closer to night than dusk and the air had cooled, it would soon begin to rain._

_Jacob had already bowed and muttered his greetings though truthfully he wasn't happy about seeing the price at all. He worried that Bella might be adversely affected by his presence._

_Meanwhile Bella was standing in a shocked silence and it wasn't until several moments later that she was able to dip in a hasty bob and stutter out her greetings. She was only glad that it had grown too dark for anyone to see her face because it felt about as hot as an oven. She thanked God for the black clouds that had moved in only hours ago._

"_Hmm," the prince intoned. "Who are you?"_

_The question was obviously directed at her. "I—I am Is—Isabella Swan, Your Highness."_

"_Isabella," he tested her name and found it pleasant. "Isabella," he repeated, his voice commanding. "Step over here so I can better see you."_

_Alice prodded her in in the back and gave a little shove to get her moving. Just as she got close enough to the prince to be slightly better seen a hole seemed to be pulled open in the clouds and the light of the full moon shown brightly, just long enough for him to see and for her to see him._

_Bella took back her thanks while Edward said his._

_When nearly ten year old Price Edward saw and spoke to Isabella Swan for the first time, and vice versa, two very different, yet very much the same, opinions about the instance were abruptly formed. Their opinions were alike in that both found the other undeniably attractive and yet had no idea what to do about it; their views of each other were different in that Bella would soon have an extremely good reason to dislike Edward while Edward would have none to dislike her._

_Edward, Bella noted, had reddish brown hair that seemed to be naturally a mess. His eyes were emerald green and shone in the light. In fact, he seemed almost to sparkle. He was about a head taller than she and already his face was defined by a strong jaw and intelligent brow. _

_Bella looked nearly ethereal in the moon light; her pale skin reflecting the moon light. Her long, brown curls were smooth and glittered. Her brown eyes twinkled and danced and Edward couldn't help noticing that the freckles dotting her cheeks and nose were quite adorable._

_Both fell instantly in love with the other and neither realized what had happened or knew how to handle it._

_As almost ten year old boys tend to do in the face of a life altering event, be they princes or not, Edward shunned the new warm, tightening of his stomach and heart. The feeling startled him and as a prince being startled was not something he had much practice with._

_Pulling a face he said, "My word, you are the ugliest looking girl I've ever seen in my life."_

_As a seven year old girls tend to do in face of a life altering event, whether they'd lost their families or not, Bella didn't notice the tingly warmth for more than a split second; her appearance had been insulted by a boy she didn't even know. She already had a low opinion of herself, she'd always compared her face to those of her friends and had never truly felt pretty; to have her fears confirmed in so blatant a manner was unforgivable. _

"_Well, good! I would consider it an utterly travesty if you'd thought otherwise because I think you're the ugliest boy I've ever seen in my life."_

_And so it began. The teasing, the name calling, the purposely annoying and any other tactics either could think of were used to keep the other as far away as possible._When Isabella woke later that morning she tried and failed to push the dream-memory away. Much to her unhappiness it refused to be moved.

* * *

"Ugh," she grumbled as she washed and dressed, doing up the buttons on her black dress. "The work of the day will make me forget it," she said to herself while she tied the white apron on over the dress and put her hair up into a knot before covering it with a white cap.

"It will," she repeated stubbornly, ignoring the small voice that told her that it wouldn't.

A/N: Personally I think it's the best chapter yet and I think that warrants reviews! _**Seriously though, I won't post the next chapter until everyone who has this story on ALERT reviews to tell me why they've put it there. I want to know what you like about this story and I won't post until I do.**_ And here's another incentive, grown up Edward will be making his first appearance...

Also I wanted to thank anyone who has reviewed thus far, I really appreciate it! As always please let me know if I've made any major mistakes.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Prince Edward was admired by men and sought by women. He lived a life of expectations, one in which the occasional deception was required. For example, when his father, the King of Washington, decided to leave his post in order to pursue his medical passion he falsely assumed a complacent and cheerful attitude. In truth nothing had ever been so devastating.

In a year and two days time he would be crowned, taking his father's place as ruler. That in itself wasn't nearly so terrible, but the process of attaining the title would be difficult to say the least. Not only the actual procedure of doing so, but he was sure that the emotional damage would be irreversible.

His mother and father were not aware of the acute distress their decisions had placed upon their son. He was very good at concealing his emotions and even if they had known of his concerns they would have dismissed them; not because they didn't value his opinion, but because that, in this instance, they were certain that everything would work out for the best.

At this point, with two days before the announcement, Edward was doing his best to become comfortable with the situation. So, in the spirit of cooperation he had agreed to his mother's suggestion of simply wandering the palace to see whom he bumped into. She wanted him to become more acquainted with his guests.

"Prince Edward," fluttered Tanya, Princess of Denali, as she dipped into a curtsy.

He bowed. "Princess," he was regretting that decision already.

Princess Tanya, though no other royal equaled her in beauty, was a source of constant vexation. Her feelings of entitlement shown clearly through the light layer of makeup on her face and he abhorred her arrogant attitude.

"How are you fairing this morning? It is exciting, isn't it? The celebration of one's twentieth birthday?"

"Quite," he said curtly, trying and failing to hide his annoyance.

The princess, full of herself as she was, did not notice the irritation in his reply. "I, of course, would not know as I am but nineteen," she fluttered her eyelashes. "However, my sister Kate turned twenty just last year. She was married only two months later, did you hear of it?" Her inference was plain.

"I don't recall," he would do nothing to encourage her.

Unfortunately Tanya needed no encouragement. She knew she was beautiful, and that coupled with her status had served to do nothing for her personality. She was shallow and dense with a low tolerance for literature and anyone whom she considered beneath her.

There was one however for whom she would have done, or at least pretended to do, anything. She expanded more effort on him than she did anyone other than herself. Prince Edward was her match appearance wise and in her mind that trumped any other possible connection.

Not so for Edward. She may have been beautiful, but her lack of tact, her disdain for others, and her superficial cares were more than enough to convince him that she was the last women he could ever feel an attraction to. Well, perhaps not quite the last...

"Well, she did and she is quite happy with him. I always knew she would find someone for herself of course, though it must be confessed that I worried a bit. I hate speaking ill of anybody, especially of one of my sisters, but she is a little plain in the face. Pretty enough I suppose, but nothing special," it was clear that she thought herself special.

Edward found it amazing that she would belittle her own sister, her flesh and blood, in pursuit of his admiration. Amazing and distasteful.

"Yes, well," he began. "I have a few things to take care of before the celebration begins." He bowed quickly and gave her not a parting glance.

"I will see you at lunch then!" she called after him, undeterred by his hasty exit.

He walked speedily to his private rooms where he promptly sat down at his piano. The music he played was stormy and unsettled, much the same as his mood.

A calm eventually settled upon him as a new thought occurred to him; he would always have his music. No matter what changed in his life his music never would.

The song came to a quiet, though not entirely felicitous, end.

Standing from the bench he stretched his arms upward over his head and then let them fall to his sides where they hung listlessly.

It was no good, no matter how often he played, no matter how long each session was, his anxiety would not die. The fear that he felt whenever he thought of how quickly the third day, his twentieth birthday, would arrive was overwhelming. Two more days now, only two left, and then his life would be forever changed.

* * *

"Two more days of this," Jacob grunted, as he and another man moved a cake bigger than Isabella had ever seen before onto a table situated beneath a pavilion outside.

She felt it over sized, yet couldn't deny that it was beautiful. She'd helped make it, so she knew that it was made of yellow cake. The outside was covered in a thin layer with an off-white peanut butter frosting, and silver painted star shaped pieces were carefully placed around the cake. It was four tears tall, square, the largest at the bottom and getting progressively smaller as they continued upward. There were other, smaller round cakes strategically placed around it.

There would be another two large cakes, one for each day of the celebration as well as countless small ones; the final would be the most complex and extravagant of all.

Isabella, as she had finished cleaning for the morning, was supervising the placing of the cake. She had an eye for decoration and was very good at finding just the right place for things to be put.

"I must be getting back now," she said once she was sure the cake was placed in the exact center of the table. "Can you manage without me?"

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Yes, you don't have to worry about it."

She nodded, choosing to ignore his sarcastic tone of voice, and moved back indoors.

Everything had been cleaned and polished until it shinned; one could see ones face in the wood of the floors. Flowers had been painted to go with the first day's color scheme of silver and blue and placed in new vases. Little blue and silver glass balls with openings for small candles hung outside waiting for night to fall, when they would be lit; they'd been specially made and sent as a gift by the king and queen of Denali who were unable to attend the festivities.

It had taken hours to decorate the palace and surrounding grounds. Everything had to be as close to perfection as possible, nothing but the best would be considered acceptable. The kitchen was in turmoil; the lunch spread had just been set out in the main dining hall, dishes were being prepared for dinner, and Alice had been sent to check that the plate arrangements were correct.

Isabella looked around at all that had been done, all the work that had been put into this event. This party had been in the works for over a year and now, watching it all taking place, she was in awe of the focus and determination of the staff in general. They were completely dedicated to making this Prince Edward's best birthday yet.

Over the years that Isabella had spent in the palace she had come to find that everyone, literally all, of the staff loved the boy as if he were their own. They felt a sort of claim to him, as most of them had been there since his infancy, and they were unquestionably loyal to both he and his family.

Even Isabella could not deny that he was more often than not kind to his employees and displayed intelligence, discerning, and compassion in his decisions regarding matters of his country and it's people. He might have been someone she looked up to, or regarded with tender feelings, if only he had not offended her so throughly all those years ago and then continued on acting uncivil toward her.

She did not enjoy thinking of him in anyway other than as the only person on the face of the earth whom she could say with complete certainty she disliked. He was rude, he ordered her about, he poked fun at her and he did his absolute best to trip her up. In her mind the things he did, the lengths he went to in his quest to forever damage her far out weighed the good he did for others.

He persisted in insulting and belittling her and she did the same to him. Each time they came across each other tensions ran high and verbal abuse flew between the two at so quick a pace that one who was not familiar with the arguments would be lost within seconds.

Isabella had done her work for the time being, having finished her first round of room cleaning and laundry collecting around half an hour ago. She'd had nothing else assigned to her for this first day of the festivities and for that she was thankful. She wanted as little part of anything that had to do with Edward as she could. She was not interested in doing things for his entertainment or happiness, she did what was asked of her and nothing more when he was involved. So when she saw him being harassed by Princesses Tanya in one of the hallways she only laughed and left them to themselves.

She made it to her destination, her room, sat down upon her bed to think her thoughts.

Tanya was the youngest of three sisters, the older two were already situated in advantageous marriages. It was common knowledge that the Kingdom of Denali was seeking a stronger tie to Washington, through a marriage specifically as was their practice. Because Prince Edward was the only heir to the throne he was for all intents and purposes Tanya's prey.

Isabella shook her head at the way in which the princess presented herself. It was clear that she was nothing more than a spoiled child who had always gotten what she wanted. She knew nothing of struggle or disappointment and made no attempt to sympathize with commoners; she was disliked even by her own people. How could her family possibly expect her to find someone to marry her? It was true that she was better-looking than any other female royal currently living, with her long strawberry blond hair, and blue-green eyes, but as soon as a possibly husband met her and learned of her many failings...who would have her?

She shook her head and stood to begin picking up a few things when she heard her name being called by the butler.

She left her room again and was told to go quickly to the kitchen and then the chamber of Prince Edward who had requested that he be brought something to eat. He claimed to be feeling unwell and would be missing the luncheon. Isabella felt no sympathy for the man, though she knew the true reason for his absence was his irritation with Princess Tanya.

She did as she was asked without complaint, though she did give the butler a rather disdainful glare once he'd turned away. After collecting a covered tray from the kitchens she made her way to the third floor of the palace, where the Prince's personal rooms were located.

She stopped just as she got to the door of the sitting room, where she knew she was supposed to take the food. She could hear music being played.

It was a piano; the song was tempestuous, dark and reminded her of a thunderstorm. She knew that it must have been Edward, but she didn't understand the tenor of the music that he played. He was meant to be in a celebratory mood, it was after all nearly his birthday. She hadn't heard tell that he was unhappy with the progression of things. Whenever she'd seen him, save for earlier that day, he'd seemed to be in a pleasant enough mood. He'd been well enough at least to find pleasure in taunting her only two days ago.

She bristled at the thought of his often hateful words and all concern flew out the window. She knocked on the door just as his song was coming to a close. After waiting a moment to no response she knocked again and this time she heard him call from within,

"You may enter."

Isabella kept her head down when she entered, muttering a quick "Your Highness." She'd just begun to hope that he hadn't recognized her when his hand on her wrist stopped her from leaving the room. She steeled herself and began thinking of all the nasty things she could say to him; she knew what was coming and it was overdue. They hadn't seen one another up close in over twenty-four hours.

"Isabella," he drawled. "How kind of you to visit."

She was unable to hold back an extremely disrespectful snort and retort. "Believe me Prince, I did not come here for my own pleasure."

He leered at her. "I didn't expect you had, you're here for _mine_."

"Urgh," she glared up at him. "Must you be so crass?"

Edward laughed and said, "Do not pretend you don't enjoy it Isabella," he let go of her hand. "Run along, before you say something you regret. Your constant disrespect is grounds for a death sentence."

He swatted at her backside as she turned away and she jumped back with a gasp. "Awful man," she growled. "Rude, inconsiderate and spoiled as you are." She flounced from the room, taking care to bang the door shut as she did so.

She could hear his loud guffaws as she stomped angrily down the hallway. No one questioned her as she made her way back to her room; they had all been warned that she'd been sent to the Prince's rooms and knew very well the mood those sorts of meetings put her in.

While Isabella sulked in her bedroom Edward was delighting in her obvious discontent. Nothing pleased him more than sending her into a tizzy. He never took the insults she slung at him to heart, they had been at each other's throats for far too long. He knew exactly how to upset her the most.

He once again sat at his piano and the song that came forth was of a much lighter tone.

* * *

Daylight had begun fading when Isabella allowed Alice to persuade her to leave the comfort of her room. She had pushed the annoyance behind her and planned to give Prince Edward no more time in her mind; thinking of him only made her angry.

"Bella really," Alice said. "The two of you and your arguments! They happen all the time, how is it that you are still so affected by them?"

She groaned. "I don't know Alice! I try to keep my head, really I do, but he always seems to find a way to upset me."

Alice patted her friends hand. "Well, not to worry. Chances are you won't be seeing much of him over the next couple of days, what with the party and all..." her eyes glazed over.

Isabella was able to catch her before she hit the ground. These spells didn't happen often, but she'd seen enough of them to know what to do. The two hadn't gone very far, they'd been on their way to the kitchens for supper, and so she decided to move Alice to her room.

"Jacob!" she called when she saw him passing by. "Help me with Alice!"

He did as she asked with no questions; he'd been subjected to these moments more than once.

They got her to the bedroom without any trouble and waited quietly for her shaking to stop.

"Bella!" Alice gasped and sat up rigidly as she came to. "Edward!"

"Alice," Isabella moved quickly to her friends side. "What is it? Did you see something?"

"I—I," she glanced wearily at the brunette and then her face cleared. "I don't remember," she said. "Sorry."

"Are you sure?" Jacob asked unsure. "You said Bella's name just now and you mentioned the Prince too..."

"Yes, but that's all. If I saw anything else I don't remember it," she flopped back against the bed. "I think I will rest here for a while, if you don't mind. You two go on ahead, I shall be fine alone," she waved them away. Isabella refused to leave until Alice agreed to eat something as soon as she was feeling better, to which she replied, "Yes, yes. I promise."

Once they'd said their goodbyes and had been gone for a minute or two Alice stood from the bed. After peeking around the corner to make sure she was alone she dashed outside and to the stables where someone was waiting for her.

"Jasper," she hissed quietly. "Jazz!"

"Alice?" the tall blond moved into sight. "What took you so long? You were meant to be here ten minutes ago."

In hurried whispers she explained about the condition she'd been in and after quieting his exclamations of worry told him about what she'd seen.

Jasper erupted into laughter. "Alice! That can't possibly be what you saw!"

She pouted at him. "Have I ever been wrong before?"

He sobered. "Well, no but Alice," he pulled her into his arms. "You know their history as well as, if not better than I do and they are the last two..."

"Shh," she pressed her fingers to his lips. "I know what I saw and that is that. You'll see," she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Would you bet against me?"

With a sigh he shook his head. "No."

"Good. Well, I have to be getting back, they'll be checking on me soon I'm sure." Alice took her leave and returned to the bedroom where she lay still for a while before falling to sleep. Her shaking spells did take quite a toll on her.

Meanwhile Jacob had convinced Isabella to take a walk with him around the part of the garden that was not being used for the party.

"Alice will want to rest and she won't be able to do that if you're hanging over her," he'd told her and she'd had to admit that he was right.

So they strolled along a pathway, looping around when they drew too close to the sounds of Prince Edward's celebration.

"Bella?" Jacob asked.

"Yes?" she asked in reply.

"Do you like me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes Jacob."

"How much do you like me?"

"More than enough," she sighed. "Is there a point to this questioning?"

He nodded. "There is."

She waited for him to continue and when he didn't she inquired, "And what would that point be?"

"Bella, it has been ten years that we've known each other," he began. "And in that time we've been through a lot. I know you Bells, all about you and you know me too. Wouldn't you say that we're close?"

"I don't know," she muttered, feeling a little out of place. She and Jacob didn't have serious talks, and if they ever had he certainly hadn't been the one to initiate them. Glancing upward she saw his trademark grin stretch across his face. "I suppose so."

She bit her lip as her face colored, becoming more than a touch red. She scolded herself for her easy show of embarrassment.

Jacob had been a very good friend to her these past ten years. The transition hadn't been easy for her, not at all. The loss of her mother and father had been, and still was, devastating. When she was with Jacob the depressing, and Edward filled, thoughts that plagued her while she was alone were banished; she compared him to the sun. Shining bright light into the darkness. When she was with him she was Bella; she would never tell him that of course, that would not be proper, but it was nice to think of in private.

"Bella," she started at the sound of her name, she'd all but forgotten that he was there. "I know that today is a hard day for you, and this probably, actually I am sure it isn't, the right time to say this, but...I just, I wanted you to know that...I like you. A lot," he stopped walking and turned to face her. "Really I do and I was wondering how you felt?" It was more of a question than a statement.

"I...Well, I...," Bella didn't know how to answer him. Certainly she liked Jacob, quite a great deal in fact, but in what way specifically? "You are...my best friend," that was all she could attest to. "Jacob," she started, a bit of her anxiety creeping into her voice. "I'm sorry, but I cannot honestly tell you anything else, I'm afraid that I can not trust my feelings just now," she shook her head sadly.

Jacob however looked anything but unhappy. "It's alright Bella honey, I understand. I'll be your friend for as long as you need me to be," he caught her up in a tight hug and pressed his lips to her forehead.

She let out a soft sigh, because although she appreciated Jacob's assurances of his never ending friendship she knew that he was waiting for more and she wasn't sure that she would ever be able to return his feelings. She cared for him, of course she did. He'd been her closest friend for nearly ten years, closer than Alice, but that was all wasn't it?

She couldn't remember ever having felt anything romantic for Jacob. He made her laugh and smile, and he had never let her down...

She didn't want to spend her life working in the palace, but she didn't have many options. Jacob was an option.

This was not a topic she wanted to dwell on, especially with the man in question so close. He had a way of knowing when she thinking about him and he never failed to call her out on it. Lying did no good either for she was not a skilled liar and he knew her too well.

Later, she told herself, I will consider this more later.

* * *

Edward Cullen was not known for his jealously. In fact, he rarely experienced that particular emotion. So when he accidentally happened upon the meeting of Isabella Swan and Jacob Black he did not at first realize what the angry tightening of his heart meant. All he did know was that the sight of the two together was enough to make his blood boil.

He knew of their friendship, as did everyone. They were very close and he'd heard his mother speak of what the servants had told her about them. Many believed that they would eventually marry.

Edward had always dismissed the claims, not that Isabella's affairs interested him of course, but he had never seen anything to suggest such a connection between them; at least not on Isabella's side. It was true that Jacob often lost his focus on his tasks when she walked into the room. Edward had caught the boy staring at her more than once and whenever that happened a strange heat would pulse throughout his body and his vision would turn red with anger. He had to exert all his learned patience to hold his tongue and turn away.

Now, seeing them standing together, alone, in the garden as the sun was setting that feeling of anger returned full force, as well as something else; disappointment maybe? Whatever he felt it caused his heart to pounded in his ears and his chest to ache painfully.

He would not allow himself to approach them, not even when Jacob broke into confession. He forced himself to hold his position behind a statue of one of his ancestors. He could partially hear what was being said from there and still avoid detection.

"... my best friend," he heard her say. The next few words were unintelligible and then, "...honestly tell you anything else, I'm afraid that I cannot trust my feelings just now."

So, she didn't know how she felt?

Jacob spoke then. "It's alright Bella honey, I understand. I'll be your friend for as long as you need me to be." Edward nearly gagged at the term of endearment Jacob so casually used when he was speaking to Isabella. He said it all the time, it was nothing new, but in the context of the situation that was playing out the term took on new meaning.

Edward looked around the side of the statue in time to see Jacob kiss Isabella on the forehead. They looked so natural standing together, wrapped in each other's arms and the aching in his chest grew substantially.

Deep in the recesses of his mind Edward knew what the pain was caused by, but acknowledging it would have only made it worse, and that coupled with the fact that he'd suppressed those particular feelings for so long made it nearly impossible for him to admit or recognize the feeling. He stood rigidly, silently until they parted and departed; at which point he moved from his place.

Rather than make an appearance at his party, as he'd been about to do, he went indoors and up to his sitting room where he once again sat at his piano and began playing a song full of hurt and confusion.

A/N: I have a prediction to make! I have foreseen that I will not post the next chapter until I receive at least 6 reviews...Why 6 you ask? Because I now know that it is possible to attain that many for this story!

Now push that gray button with green letters on it!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**WARNING: I'm not sure that this is actually necessary, but better safe than sorry. This chapter is rated an upper end 'T' for a partial sex talk. Actually, this story may end up rated 'M'. If that does happen it won't be until much later, warnings will be posted, and those bits will be skippable. END WARNING**

Isabella spent the night thinking over Jacob's proposition. The things he'd spoken of had been confusing to say the least. How long had he had those sort of feelings for her? She couldn't remember ever having noticed his displaying anything other friendliness toward her. She supposed that she could have misinterpreted his intent, it wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened. Still, it was a difficult reality to accept.

The smart thing to do would be for her to accept what he was offering; she did care for him and it was obvious that he cared for her, but she couldn't stop the nagging voice in her head telling her that it wasn't the same thing. She already knew that though; what Jacob had been trying to describe were romantic feelings and she had none of those for him, but things like that often happened in marriages.

It was possible that her emotions regarding him would change as time went on. She might grow to love him as more than a friend. In fact it seemed entirely possible that it should happen, if she spent enough time with him under the correct circumstances that was.

As far as she could see the worst that could happen would be an inability for her to develop amorous feelings for him and in that case she would always care for him as a friend. There were much worse ways to spend one's life.

Of course, there was the wedding night...and the nights afterward. She would be expected to—to do that with Jacob. At this point in time she couldn't fathom participating in the act at all, much less with her closest friend. She didn't even know very much about it! Her mother had never gotten the chance to answer any of her more pointed questions.

I'll have to have a conversation with Alice, she thought. Oh, when did things become so complicated?

She pushed back her blanket and stood from the bed, moving to sit in the simple wooden chair by her lone window. A few stars twinkled in the inky blackness, the only source of light as there was no moon and dark clouds had come in, threatening rain. She stared out at the night and found the darkness to be reassuring. Soon it would be day again, the sky would change from black to red, red to pink and so on just as it did every day. Her eyelids began drooping with drowsiness, and soon she had drifted into unconsciousness.

Night passed into morning and Isabella awoke from her slumber feeling stiff from sleeping in such an unnatural position, as well as a bit chilly. She stretched as she stood, washed and then changed. After a quick breakfast she began her days work. There were fifteen rooms to clean today, and no time for dillydallying.

Such an expert in her field was she that within two and a half hours fourteen of the fifteen rooms were spotless. Presently she was turning down the bed in the last of her assigned guest rooms. Now nearly finished with her work she felt that she deserved a moment to herself and opened one of the windows to let in a bit of fresh air; she then paused to take stock of the day.

A cool breeze blew in smelling of rain drops and roses. The sky had once again cleared as the dark clouds of the night past had been blown away. It looked to be a bright, clear day. She could hear birds chirping in the distance as well as the laughter of the nobles as they wandered about out-of-doors without a care in the world.

Her thoughts drifted as she began her final task of folding and placing already worn clothing in a basket to be laundered, moving to her current conundrum. She had come to understand during the last few hours that, while she didn't know what she wanted, she did know what she didn't want.

She didn't want to marry someone she didn't love and she didn't want to be a chambermaid for the rest of her life. Nor did she want to be forever in the service of the royal Cullen family, because eventually the throne would pass from father to son and she would not work under the direction of Edward.

At this point in time she could not say with certainty that she loved or would be able to love Jacob the way he should be loved in a marriage situation. And so that would have to be her answer to his inquires, at least for now.

That didn't give her a solution to her other problem though; where was she to go when she was ready to move on? She had a little box of money stashed under her mattress filled with whatever she was able to save after buying needles and thread each month. Was that enough to get her a small flat in town? What would she do to earn more?

She also needed to speak with Alice, though she was unsure that she wanted to know the answers to those particular questions.

With a sigh Isabella sat on the large bed, noting that it was much softer than her own, and hunched her shoulders inward. All these questions, all these uncertainties, there were too many unknowns. She took a deep breath before standing again and returning to her work, doing her best to ignore her worries.

* * *

On this second day of celebration Prince Edward had been forced by his mother to spend nearly five hours outside mingling with his guests.

"It is quite rude," his mother had said. "To ignore those who have come to see you." She'd patted his cheek and pressed a kiss in the same place before leaving the room so that he could dress.

He sighed internally as he listened to the monologue of King Aro of Volterra. He was an eccentric man, known for his oddities and all-encompassing interest in mythology. Within his palace was an extensive collection of books and art relating to world cultures throughout the ages; he took any opportunity that presented itself to discuss things of that nature.

"...vampires...many contradicting stories....sunlight burning...,"

Needless to say Edward was not the least bit interested in the conversation, but Volterra was an important ally of Washington. They were rich in precious jewels and their military strength was unmatched; the country was also the head of an international peacekeeping society known as the Volturi. So even though listening to the middle-aged man was a trial the prince endured. He nodded at the appropriate times and interjected comments when they were called for.

Edward was a skilled actor, one had to be when one was in a position such as his. Often times it was necessary to pretend one was too tired to continue a discussion, or that one was completely attentive when one was actually bored to tears. He called on all his acting abilities now to get through another ten minutes or so of the nearly one-sided conversation.

He smiled and allowed the middle-aged man to continue in his description of vampires. This, as Edward had learned, was one of Aro's favorite topics upon which to dwell. Immortality was a great interest of his.

Aro's speech broke off suddenly as his icy blue eyes focused on something just over Edward's left shoulder.

"Well, what a pretty servant girl," he said.

The prince turned to see who he was speaking of, only to find his constant source of both amusement and annoyance Isabella Swan. She had been commissioned by Alice earlier in the day to help serve hors d'oeuvres once she was finished with her own work; one of the other women had fallen ill the night before and was unable to participate.

She was wearing the dark blue uniform dress of the servers and he couldn't help but notice the way it contrasted her pale, clear skin. A silver platter holding little cubes of different cheeses and rolled meats was balanced on one hand and she was busily offering them to anyone who held an empty plate.

When Edward turned back to Aro, determined to ignore Isabella, he noticed that the king's plate, which had been sufficiently full only a moment ago, was now empty. A strange feeling of anger began building up in the pit of his stomach, was the king really so unconventional that he would take a servant girl for a wife? Just considering it was...improper.

Edward had never heard of Aro's taking a wife, perhaps none would have him or more likely he'd simply never been interested. Was he interested now? Though this certainly was in line with his strange behavior, would he be so bold as to break one of the oldest held customs of the world's royalty?

King Aro noticed Edward's frown and winked at the boy before calling out to Isabella as she passed. "Excuse me my dear, would you be so kind as to allow me to inquire as to your name?"

She turned and her brown eyes widened as she realized who was speaking to her. After a curtsy she answered, "My name is Isabella, your Majesty." Her face turned scarlet, as it always did when she was embarrassed.

"Isabella then," a wide smile graced his face. "I would like to refill my plate."

"O—of course," she stuttered, holding her tray out to him.

King Aro was actually a very attractive man, he showed no outward appearances of his eccentricity. He wore his long, black hair tied back in what was the style in his country and though he was in his thirties he looked quite young.

In truth Isabella had always been fascinated by his style of ruling. He focused greatly on education and his constant mantra was "Learn from the past or be doomed to repeat it." Isabella found his immense love of knowledge intriguing. Of course she'd heard tell of his strangeness, but that was something she could overlook, especially since she had no cognition of his having the intent of making any real acquaintanceship with her. Really who would, much less a king? She found it difficult to believe that he had even spoken to her.

Edward however was unsure of Aro's design. He could not for the life of him discern whether or not the man was serious about his sudden interest in Miss Swan. He also could not understand why the possibility discomposed him as much as it did.

So, as per usual, he took out the frustration borne of his incomprehension in regard to his emotions pertaining to Isabella on the subject herself.

"Isabella," he said, feeling slightly irritated at having been ignored thus far. "How nice to see you again."

He watched as her eyes narrowed slightly before her face smoothed. She assumed he wouldn't do anything too inappropriate with so many witnesses around.

She curtsied and forced out a fairly polite sounding, "Your Highness."

Aro watched their exchange, noting the minute changes in the expressions of each as they spoke. He was a very detail oriented man and had many years experience with seeing to the root of things; as such he was able to quickly conclude that the two young people shared an intimate relationship. He was unable however, to perceive whether or not it was lasting or stable.

In all actuality it didn't much matter to him whether it was or wasn't. He was quite a selfish man; for the moment he knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it.

He spoke with the servant called Isabella for some time and found her to be an intelligent, if somewhat shy, young women. She listened as he spoke of mythological beliefs, how they varied by culture and how he believed it was possible to apply certain things about them to real life with rapt attention. She even asked a question or two though her voice was very quiet and shook slightly.

Aro observed the prince who had moved only a few feet away after his tense greeting with Isabella; the boy had kept his eye on the ensuing conversation. He did not look at all happy.

The prince's reaction to Isabella's interaction with any male other than himself proved to be very entertaining to King Aro.

"Where have you been?" Alice questioned as soon as she saw Isabella entering the kitchen with an empty tray. "You've been gone some twenty minutes."

Isabella quickly set down her platter and took up another. "I know, I know, but you will forgive me when I tell you what's happened," a small laugh escaped her. "I don't believe you will know what to think. I'm sure that I do not."

She left then and proceeded back into the sea of party guests, offering a drink to anyone without one.

Her mind was not really on her work as it was an easy task to preform. She couldn't wait to tell Alice about all that had happened. It wasn't much really, only a simple conversation, but it was highly unlikely that anything like it would ever take place again. The life of a servant girl could hardly be called exciting and was very predictable; Isabella knew her friend would appreciate hearing about it.

She'd nearly finished with her shift on the grounds when he showed up. It was just like Edward to ruin her good mood.

He hadn't done it on purpose this time, in fact he didn't even know she was there. He was speaking to his mother and they'd wandered in the direction of the palace. He was trying to convince her that he'd spent enough time out-of-doors for the day.

That was his way of politely telling Esme that he'd had enough of what passed for social activity among his wealthy and affluent guests.

"Mother," he sighed. "Tomorrow is the 'big day', may I please be excused from the rest of the festivities tonight?"

"Excuse me your Highnesses," Isabella interrupted quietly, curtsying. "But would you care for refreshments?" There were only two flutes of champagne left upon her tray.

Edward barely nodded at her in acknowledgement while his mother murmured a "Thank you," and sent her son a glare for his discourtesy.

It didn't matter to Isabella one way or the other though. She would have been just as happy to completely be ignored by him. With a parting curtsy she left the mother and son for the indoors where she was met by Alice, who had many questions to ask.

"What were you speaking of earlier? What happened? Why were you gone for such a long time?" The black haired girl was practically bouncing with anticipation.

Isabella smiled and shook her head. "I will tell you all about it, if you'll promise to keep it to yourself," once Alice had nodded she continued. "Let us go to my room; we are less likely to be disturbed there."

The two retreated to the safety of Isabella's bedroom and spoke quietly of the nights events. Alice, under threat of expulsion from the room, was able to sit and listen while her brown eyed friend described her conversation with King Aro; she said it was 'interesting'. Alice couldn't help but notice the way that Isabella left Prince Edward out of most of her description.

"What about the prince?" she asked.

"What about him?" Isabella countered feeling a little putout. Alice always got excited about the wrong things.

With a shrug Alice answered, "Nothing in particular really. I was only wondering if you had noticed anything strange about him while you were conversing with Aro."

"That is of no consequence. Besides," she gave a haughty toss of her hair. "I wasn't paying him any mind," she paused and then sighed. "He didn't seem overly enthused by my interaction with King Aro. But what does it matter?" Isabella flopped backward onto her bed.

Alice rolled her eyes at her friends blindness. It was plain to her, and always had been, what the underlying issue between Bella and Edward was. If only they would not be so stupidly stubborn about it.

"It matters much more than you think it does."

Isabella didn't ask the pixie like girl anything else, subconsciously fearing the direction their conversation would take if she did. She knew of Alice's convictions regarding her non-relationship with Prince Edward Cullen and she never purposefully brought up the subject.

Suffice it to say she did not share Alice's beliefs. Whatever her black haired friend said this was the one subject upon which they completely disagreed. Isabella trusted Alice implicitly in nearly all matters, her judgment was not to bet against, but in this one and only case Isabella was sure that her companion was incorrect.

She and the prince had never gotten along. Never. She couldn't remember a time when they had behaved amiably toward one another. Whenever they were alone and within a ten foot radius an argument was sure to ensue. They could not stand one another.

It disgusted her how often he occupied her mind. Throughout the morning and afternoon she worried about bumping into him, it was inevitable, and then at night she thought about the struggles they'd had. The process would repeat itself the next day.

"So, what else did you want to talk about?" Alice asked, breaking through her thoughts.

She blinked at her companion blankly. "What?"

Alice widened her eyes innocently. "Why Bella, have you forgotten your decision to ask me about that last night?"

Isabella's mouth dropped open. She had completely forgotten about her previous worry and she was no longer as sure of needing the knowledge as she had been.

"It is far too late for that," she said brightly. "It doesn't matter whether you're decided now or not, because I am. This is important and we will have the uninterrupted time to discuss the matter now."

"But, but, Alice!" she was not ready for this. "It is highly inappropriate, and really, how much more can you know than I do?" The gleam in Alice's eye left her immediately regretting her question.

"Oh my dear, sweet Isabella Marie. I am not so prudish as you," she laughed at the scandalized look on Bella's face. "Not only that, but I have long since found the one I will spend my life with."

"Well, yes Alice, but still..." she was slightly mollified. It wasn't so terrible for Alice who had already seen her life with Jasper, however if it had been anyone else she was sure that she should have fainted.

"So! On to the mechanics of it all!" Alice clapped her hands together, far to excited for Isabella's taste. "Well," she began speaking, but stopped suddenly, "Don't interrupt Bella, you will only be making it worse for yourself. As I was saying, in simple terms, insert tab 'A'," she stuck out one finger on her right hand. "Into slot 'B'," and made a circle with the other thumb and forefinger. She then proceeded to place 'A' into 'B'. "I think your mother was able to explain that much to you?"

Her face was hot, very. She felt ill and wished the idea of speaking to Alice had never entered her mind.

"Y—yes," Bella stuttered.

"Let's start here: What do you not know?"

"Um," she was very much out of her element. "She—she explained the...mechanics I suppose."

"But nothing else?"

Bella shook her head feeling very much like a child.

Alice had to fight to keep the smile off her face. "So you know that the penis enters the vagina, but nothing of pleasure?" the horrified look on Isabella's face was more than enough of an answer. "I shan't go in to too much detail just now as it is getting late and I don't want you passing out on us at supper, but believe you me it is far more than whatever your mother told you.

"When you are truly with the one you love," she placed her hands over Bella's. "It is pure magic. I won't lie to you, the first time does hurt, but it is worth it. When the time is right I will tell you more about it, but just now..."

"Alice? Bella?" Jacob knocked on the door, pushing it open a bit. Bella jumped in surprise. "We can eat now," he eyed the two suspiciously. "Why is your face so red?"

"No reason," Isabella managed to squeak.

Alice rolled her eyes and smoothed away the wrinkles in her dress. "Does she really need one? Honestly it does not take much."

Jacob accepted what they told him without argument, something in the back of his mind telling him that he didn't want to be part of whatever that had just taken place.

Isabella was able to sit through dinner without too much trouble, but as soon as she was alone in her room her nerves and embarrassment returned full force. She could only hope that Alice would forget about or become uninterested in the conversation.

Unfortunately she was sure that it was unlikely to happen.

A/N: I bet you can't guess what my favorite sentence in this chapter was! Oh and what do you think Aro wants? Is he planning to help the two along? Does he want Bella to himself? Or something else?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The room was large and lavishly decorated. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, catching the light of the full moon that shone through the all glass wall to the east. The carpet was plush, and white. A tall oak wardrobe with golden door knobs sat in the west corner of the room. A king sized four poster bed made of cherry wood dominated the center of the room with a bedspread of dark maroon, many white feather stuffed pillows. It was obscenely comfortable.

Edward was currently lying awake in said bed, unable to sleep. Hours had passed since he'd first gone to his bedroom and still slumber evaded him; his mind simply would not calm. The thoughts that plagued him were ones he'd never thought he'd be thinking, or at least ones he hadn't thought he'd be thinking for a while yet.

Simply put the idea of love was weighing on his mind. He knew that it was real, he witnessed it's power every day of his life between his parents. They were his example. From them he'd learned that love was kind, and patient. He'd heard others say that love meant never having to say "I'm sorry"; he believed otherwise. His father often apologized to his mother and she had always forgiven him for his transgressions. After twenty-five years of marriage they were still very much in love.

And so he knew that it was possible for one to find their better half, however he'd never felt that it was something that would happen for him. He enjoyed his solitude far too much to allow it to be marred by a woman.

His mother was one of a kind, a rare gem. He did not believe that he would ever find one whom he wished to spend his life with the way his father had. He was sure that he was too accustomed to being alone to find happiness in being with someone else. That, and the fact that the only type of women he could imagine being with was a noble, or a royal; one who was familiar with all the rules and regulations of court. Throughout his life he'd met and spoken with nearly all the girls of noble blood within Washington's allied countries and he was not attracted to any of them.

That wasn't to say that _they_ weren't attracted to _him_; they were, very, and they made no secret of it. That however was one of the main reasons he did not care for them. They knew nothing about him and yet imagined themselves in love with him. Females like that had nothing of substance to offer him, they were blinded by his status and power.

Tanya was a prime example of those sort of women. She clearly knew nothing about his personality and yet presented herself as if she did. Edward wasn't sure that anyone truly knew him and he conceded that it was partially his own fault. He judged people before really getting to know them, and he was far more ready to see the negative than the positive. It was instinctual though, he seemed to have a knack for seeing to the heart of a person's thoughts. He hadn't ever been wrong about someone's intent before.

He was also a bit conceited. It was to be expected, he was the only child of a wealthy royal family and had been doted upon since his birth. That particular trait didn't play much of a role in his choosing of companions though, and it hadn't ever influenced anyone's perspective of him because he was quite good at hiding it. Well, no opinion except for that of Isabella of course. That girl...

He shook his head of the thought before it could cement itself. She never failed to vex him. Be it her annoyingly perceptive nature, or her quick-witted retorts she had a talent for seeing through his barriers and letting him know that she could. Edward wasn't sure that she did it on purpose, but she did it all the same and that was grounds for his scorn.

If Isabella hadn't been so...forceful with him during that first meeting they could have been friends. He could see how it would have worked out, they would have complimented each other. But, she'd ruined any chance of that and now insisted upon keeping it at the forefront of their relationship. She was quiet and yet abrasive, difficult and at the same time gentle. She drove him insane. He didn't know how to handle her and consequently reverted to childish behavior whenever she was within the vicinity.

"Gah!" he exclaimed, pushing himself up onto his elbows. She had successfully planted herself in his mind. Trying not to think of her had led to thinking of her.

That happened more often than he cared to admit.

She was a constant presence in his mind, not an hour went by in which he did not think of her. He wondered where she was, or what she was doing. He thought about the amount of time she spent with the Black boy and pondered what they did together. He wanted to know when he would next see her and he was always wondering what he'd done to so badly offend her that first night.

He'd spoken to Alice about them, Isabella and Jacob, on many occasions, he and she shared a friendly relationship, but she insisted on denying that she had any knowledge of what Isabella did when she was alone with Jacob; an annoying smirk was always present on her face when she did so. Alice also refused to speak of that first meeting, out of loyalty to Isabella. Edward always left Alice feeling that he had more questions than he'd started with.

He didn't know what to do about his preoccupation. It needed to be taken care of for both his sanity and the soon to begin events. It wouldn't do for him to be forever fixated on a girl he cared nothing about.

Swinging his legs off the bed Edward stood and walked over to the window. He undid the latch, and pushed the window out as far as it would go, allowing a breeze to carry in the cool, sweet smelling air of the night. Breathing deeply he took a moment to collect and organize his thoughts.

"So many things to think about," he murmured. "So many things to worry about, and so little time to do it."

So soon he would have even more worries, within a few hours his entire life would change. This wasn't just a birthday, this was as good as a death sentence. Someone was bound to be hurt, most likely more than one someone, and he would be the one delivering each blow. He re-closed the window.

Allowing his head to hit the glass, and ignored the pain that followed the action; he stood there for a long moment. Eventually he dragged himself back into bed and was able to fall to sleep about an hour later.

He awoke the next morning feeling as if he'd had no rest at all. He had duties to attend to though and so he washed and dressed as he did every morning before leaving his room to greet the guests.

On his way downstairs he met King Aro and they walked together to the grand dining hall were another buffet style meal was laid out; fruits of all kinds sat waiting to be sampled. The two stood together and spoke of politics and greeted those who came to them until Aro made a comment of not having seen the servant girl Isabella yet that day.

"She has been relieved of her duties for the time being. She is very clumsy and more of a liability than she is help."

"Ah," Aro chuckled. "Such an endearing quality. She needs protection from herself as much as she does from others. Hmm, one more for the list!"

List? Edward bristled. "King, surely, surely you would not consider...you don't mean to say that...you aren't serious in your perusal of Isabella?"

"Why of course I am dear boy! Why in the world would I not be?" He seemed amused.

"She is a common servant!" he had to fight to keep his voice down. "She is rude, and unable to hold her tongue. She does not know her place, she is constantly tripping over her own feet; she is, she is," he struggled to define just how unfit for marriage Isabella was.

"She can be taught to be graceful," a smile spread across his face. " And to be tactful. I have heard that you are a bit biased when it comes to that particular girl; the two of you share a peculiar relationship. Please do not be offended when I say that I understand your beliefs about her to be yours alone rather than those of the general population."

"But, but she is only seventeen! She is still a child!"

King Aro shook his head. "In many places she would be considered an adult," he handed off his empty plate to a passing member of staff. "I have a few things to attend to Prince, I hope to see you again soon so that we may continue this highly entertaining conversation."

They bowed to each other and Edward was left alone to defend himself against Tanya, who took Aro's place at his side the moment it was vacated.

"I hoped to be the first to offer my congratulations and wish you a happy birthday, Edward," she smiled flirtatiously up at him, batting her lashes.

"Yes, well," he murmured. "Thank you, but I really must seek out my parents. We have...things to discuss," he made his escape and did go to his mother and father.

"Edward trust us, this is best," his mother reassured him once he'd told them of his fears. "Really, it will be difficult at first, but it will all turn out for the better."

His father nodded in agreement. "As your mother says it will not be easy, but in the end you will see that we were right and then you will have to thank us," he laughed.

Edward left them felling no better. They meant well, but for the life of him he could not see how this would work out.

* * *

Isabella had slept in, though this was the final day of the celebration she had been relieved of her duties. She was known for her lack of grace and though there was much to be done no one, not even the king or queen, was willing to take the risk. It would be tempting fate to have her around now; she'd done alright the past few days, but it couldn't be expected to last.

When she awoke she simply stayed in bed. She had nowhere to go, nothing to do and no one to see. Alice and Jacob would be quite busy with preparations and she wasn't hungry enough to get up for food, but doing nothing wasn't something she was accustomed to. There was always something to be done and she was sure that any and all help was needed, yet she had been told, very explicitly, to stay far from the brunt of the activity.

She lay quietly, thinking to herself about what she would do with her day off. It was a good chance to go into town, she needed a few little things, and while she was there she could ask about placing an advertisement in the paper. She had quite a few skills and she was sure that she would be able to get a reference from the palace, it couldn't be too difficult to find a new position. Perhaps she could be a governess, she'd been taught to read and write, and she knew a bit of arithmetic. She wasn't very good a piano, but if she practiced she would get better, and the same could be said for drawing.

There were a great many things that she could do and there was no reason for her not to try something new. She needed more life experience, she'd been in one place for far too long and it was time for a change. Of course she would need to speak to Alice for advice on what she should attempt, but she was sure that her friend would be supportive of any actions she decided to take.

Decided on going to town Isabella removed herself from bed, washed, and clothed herself in a corset, slip and her second best dress. It was peach in color, with a cinched waist and narrow skirt; a very in style fashion. She pulled her chestnut colored hair back, twisting some of it up and setting the gold and white comb she had been given so many years ago so that it would hold the hair in place; the rest she let fall about her shoulders. After pinching her cheeks a few times in a vain effort to bring color to her fair complexion she left her room, taking her small clutch purse with her.

She stopped in the kitchen, where she informed Cook of her day's plans and asked that he relay the information to Alice when he next saw her. He agreed and complimented her on her appearance, stating that if he hadn't known he as well as he did, he would have mistaken her for a noble; that brought color to her cheeks. She received many curious glances, as well as a few jesting whistles from her male workmates, but no one questioned her as she left through the servants entrance and walked out into the garden.

The lawn was already littered with the affluent guests of the Cullen family, they milled around discussing the proceedings of the day so far, and speculating about the coming party. None paid her any mind as she wove her way through the small and scattered groups, on one but King Aro that is.

At the moment he was in need of entertainment and when Isabella made to pass him by he called out to her saying, "Dear Isabella, where are you going, dressed as lovely as that?"

The women in question was very surprised that she had been called upon by the King once again, and only a day after their first meeting. It was highly improbable.

"Hello, your majesty," she managed a slightly clumsy curtsy. "I was just on my way to town."

"Well certainly you cannot be expected to travel by foot, dear one! I wouldn't hear of it, nor would anyone else," he smiled at her. "I must offer you use of my carriage."

"I—I couldn't possibly accept that, your highness. I am only a servant after all, and I'm sure that I'll be fine. I've walked to and from the city safely many times before." What was the man thinking?! The scandal it would cause! Perhaps his character was as others painted it; he seemed to have a haughty disregard for commonly practiced tradition. What he was proposing was unheard of, it simply did not happen; servants were never offered such luxuries by a noble, much less a royal, unless something indecent was taking place between the two.

That set off a whole new bought of worries for Isabella. Could he be proposing some such arrangement?

Her face blanched at the thought. Surely he wasn't. She wasn't so pretty as that, and she had displayed no great amount of intelligence. She had nothing to give him that he could not find elsewhere in a less improper relationship. Still though, if he was, how could she refuse him tactfully?

"I simply will not take no for an answer," he took her by the elbow before she could properly protest, leading her toward the stables. He left her standing by the entrance for a moment, during which time he spoke to the stable hand and arranged for his carriage and horses to be made ready. When he reappeared Isabella had managed to gain control of her breathing and her expression appeared controlled. "It will be ready in just a few minutes, and now my dear I take my leave of you, I have a great many things to discuss with the Count of Arizona," he kissed her hand and left.

It was ten minutes before Jasper came out to tell the King that his horse and carriage were ready, only to find Isabella who was still staring toward the palace with her mouth hanging open in a decidedly unattractive way.

"You wouldn't happen to know where King Aro went, would you?"

She shook herself out of her stupor to answer him. "He went to speak to someone and it does not matter because the carriage is not for him, it is for me."

Jasper eyed her suspiciously and with his unusually strong gift of empathy found her to be feeling extremely nervous and embarrassed; neither of which were out of the ordinary for Isabella, but she seemed more out of sorts than usual.

"And why would he lend you the use of his carriage?"

Isabella shook her head slowly. "I'm sure I do not know Jasper. I honestly haven't the slightest idea," suddenly she turned to look at him imploringly. "Couldn't you find something wrong with it? Something that would force me to go on foot? Oh please Jasper, please!"

He offered her a small smile. "No, no good can come from lying, especially if it is a lie one of the most powerful men in the world. I'm sorry Bella," he patted her head. "You will just have to endure it."

She followed after him unhappily and he led her toward the front of the palace where the carriage was now waiting for an occupant. He helped inside and gave one last reassurance. "I can almost certainly promise you that this will not turn out as terribly as you are afraid it will."

As it turned out Jasper was right, but only just. Things didn't go as badly as she'd worried they would, but there were still whispers and staring, and that was more than enough to upset Isabella. Rumors would begin soon, she knew they would, and her resolve to find a new position hardened. Her final stop of the day was the post office at which she inquired as to the price of placing an advertisement, and learned that they charged by the line. It wasn't very much and she would have enough to place one after her next pay in five days time.

She returned to the carriage and to the palace after that, having spent only two hours in town. It was now ten and thirty minutes according to the timepiece of the driver, and that meant that there were still nearly five hours until the Prince's final party began. She had nothing to do until then.

Resolving to deliberate more later she handed off her purchases to the driver who'd offered to have them sent to her room and headed around to the back of the palace toward the servant's entrance. She noted that there were more people out and about than before and she stayed close to the building so as to be out of the way.

As before no one paid her much mind as she edged her way toward the indoors as quickly and quietly as possible. The last thing she needed was to meet with Aro again, she was sure that her nerves would be unable to handle the pressure of holding another conversation with him.

Unfortunately for her she was noticed, not by Aro, but by Edward. He too was attempting to pass by the crowds unnoticed by staying close to the palace and during the few moments that neither of the two were looking in front of them, they collided.

Both stumbled backward, but managed to right themselves before falling.

"I'm so sorry," Isabella began at the same time Prince Edward said, "Forgive me I..."; they abruptly stopped speaking when they realized whom they were speaking to.

Edward was very surprised to see Isabella, he'd been told that she was to be kept away from things for the day. He was also startled to see her dressed the way she was, he couldn't remember ever having seen her in anything other than her working uniform before. The way she looked at the moment, flushed pink with her embarrassment, her fashionably cut dress hanging loosely in some places while hugging closer in others, and her thick, wavy hair only partially pulled up, was more than lovely and he was stunned by the sight of her.

Rather than making him sentimental though, those observations left him feeling cold and hallow. He assumed that she had dressed in such a pleasant way to meet with her lover. The pain was dismissed immediately and he took on his old defense. With a sneer in place he said, "Isabella, have you forgotten your manners? It does not matter to me where you are going, whom you are seeking, or how quickly you feel you need to get there, you must follow protocol."

Isabella had been more affected by the collision than he, as she was smaller and more delicate than he was, and had not therefore registered anything about him other than that he was there; the first thing she noticed about his appearance was his look of contempt. With as fake a smile as anyone had ever seen she curtsied and said, "I am sorry your highness, that impact just now left me feeling a bit woozy. I surely would have addressed you sooner had you not bumped into me." She flashed him a toothy grin and made to pass by.

He blocked her. "Are you insinuating that the collision that just took place was _my_ fault? If you are then I must disagree. You were _clearly_ focused on something, or someone else more than you were your path and bumped into me as a result of your inattention."

Her head was shaking before he'd finished his statement. "I am once again sorry highness, but I must insist that in this instance, and many others," she added in an annoyed mumble. She raised her voice to hearing level as she continued. "You are the one in the wrong."

Edward wasn't much paying attention to what she was saying, he was still focused on taking in her appearance. He had never known her to look as pretty as she did just then; her annoyance with him brought a sparkle to her brown eyes, warming and seemingly melting them into pools of smoldering chocolate. For a moment he was quite taken with her, then of course his eyes found the decoration in her hair and his heart hardened. "I suppose that," he pointed to the comb. "Is a gift from your Jacob," he spoke the name with contempt.

His sudden change of subject surprised Isabella and so she spoke without her usual guard. "No! It isn't any of your concern, but it is _not_ something I got from Jacob. I wouldn't accept anything like this from him."

He snorted. "I'm sure you would not admit to it," his green eyes flashed angrily. "Does anyone know yet? About Jacob's proposal? Have you said yes to him yet?" his asked darkly.

For a moment Isabella stood in shocked silence wondering how Edward had come to know about her dilemma with Jacob and wondering at the way his mind seemed to jump from one thing to another. "I—I don't know how you found out about that, but as I said before, it isn't your concern. Jacob and I are only friends, he may have more...intense feelings than that, but I do not and so..."

In his anger he snapped at and interrupted her, "And so what exactly? You were going to refuse him? A foolhardy choice. What other options do you have? Are you so arrogant as to believe that another will pose a similar offer? Why would they? You are a servant, you have no dowry and nothing to proffer a husband in the way of... entertainment."

Isabella, shocked and dismayed at his words, dropped her head to hide the tears she felt prickling in her eyes, feeling that Edward had confirmed everything she'd worried to herself about. It was too much of a coincidence for the both of them to be thinking along the same lines wasn't it? It was true then; she wouldn't find anything better and there would be no other offers, and why would there be? She wasn't very pretty or intelligent, and she wasn't graceful or discerning; she simply wasn't good enough for anyone else to want. Jacob had known her for so long, it was only natural that he should develop feelings for her. No one else had ever shown any interest in her.

Edward noticed the fat droplets falling from her eyes before she did and as the heat of his anger faded the ache in his chest grew painful. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

"Isabella, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I just...,"

She looked up him, her expression devastated and held her hand out to stop him. "No, no you're right," she whispered while taking her handkerchief out of her clutch and wiping at her nose. "For once you are correct. I'm not...I don't have anything to offer anyone. You were right," and with that she pivoted around and took a less direct route to the servant door, having just realized what she would do with the rest of her day.

The prince leaned heavily against the wall, why had he reacted in such an abominable fashion? There had been no call for that! None. He'd made a lady weep. If he had only been paying attention he would have seen the purse she held, and he would have known that she'd been dressed for her outing, not for meeting the boy.

"Jealously," a quiet voice seemed to whisper to him. "You were jealous; it seemed that she had chosen one other than yourself and you acted rashly without taking note of all the elements that had been presented to you."

That was easily dismissed. "What reason have I to be jealous?" he scoffed quietly. He ran a hand through his hair, and with an intense look upon his face that made quite a few women stop to stare he too went back indoors.

* * *

Isabella spent the remainder of the day in her bedroom. She'd locked her door from the inside so that no one, not even Alice, would be able to disturb her. After her tears had ceased she slept, and when she awoke she lay still on her bed. She was in her dress, but could not bring herself to care about the way it would wrinkle. She was thinking about what Edward had said to her. She firmly believed that he was correct. There was nothing for her, not in her current state at least. If she continued with her life in the palace she would never do anything greater than possibly marrying Jacob. She'd reached as far as she was going to get and that was depressing to realize. Her ambition to find new work had doubled, and she now had a new reason to search, she wanted to prove Edward wrong. She would prove him wrong.

There had to be something else out there for her, maybe she hadn't found it yet because she'd been in one place for such a long time. She would find out what there was and become more than Bella Swan servant girl and then someday she would return and show him that he'd been wrong about her.

Just as she finished her thought a loud series of knocks sounded on her door. "Isabella Marie! You will open this door right this instant! As far as I know you haven't eaten anything all day, and you've been in that room for hours, now get out!" Alice shouted. "You must eat supper quickly and then we are to head outside for the last celebration so move it!"

Isabella pushed herself from her bed, tried to smooth her hair and dress and then opened the door to her small, but frighteningly serious companion. Alice was also wearing a dress that rarely saw the light of day, it was the same style as Isabella's, but in a pastel green. She took one look at her friend and pushed her backward.

"Your dress!" she cried. "The hair I can manage to fix, but this! Oh Bella, why?!"

With a sigh she answered her. "It isn't as bad as all that, only a little wrinkled."

Alice inhaled noisily and proceeded to re-do the hair she'd deemed fixable. She worked quickly and efficiently; it was soon back in place. The dress was her next project; she pulled at it and twisted it around for at least ten minutes before finally managing to make it look presentable.

"Sometimes I just do not know what to do with you, Bella. How can I continue to be your friend when you are constantly making a mess of your clothing? Have a bit of respect!" she tugged at Isabella. "Put your shoes back on. If we hurry you will be able to grab a bite to eat before we are called to the lawn."

The two went to the kitchen were a plate of mutton, rice and gravy had been left for Isabella. She had time to eat most of it before they were called upon.

They filed into their designated section of the grounds and everyone, servant and noble alike, sat in nervous excitement, awaiting the king's speech. There was also a section for commoners who'd been able to procure seating. Though they were separated by roped off areas because of the differences in class, all were speaking of and feeling the same things. Everyone commented on the grand way in which things had been decorated. Paper lanterns hung overhead, red flowers had been tied around the ropes holding them up and a stage of sorts had been constructed upon which there were three thrones; one for each of the royal family. A small orchestra sat quietly to the side awaiting direction. All were in a joyous and celebratory mood.

The only one who seemed genuinely uninterested in the proceedings was Isabella, and though Alice had yet to comment upon anything_ she_ had a glint in her eye, suggesting to her closest friend that she already knew what was coming and that there was more to this event then there seemed. Isabella turned her attention from the stage to Alice.

"What is it that you know?"

Alice gave her no answer aloud and simply shook her head.

Isabella's eyes narrowed. "Alice, do _not_ test me. I'm sure you know of the day I've had and,"

Alice cut her off before she could get into a real passion. "Calm down, you'll know just as much as I do, well nearly as much as I do, soon enough." She stopped speaking, because a sentry had called for all to stand.

They did so and the Cullen's entered view. Queen Esme and Prince Edward sat, the price in the far right throne and the queen the far left, while King Carlisle raised his hands, indicating that they were allowed to take their former positions. Once everyone was again seated he began his speech.

"We thank you, honored guests, for your attendance here these past three days. Your company during and enthusiasm for our son's twenty-th birthday has been much appreciated," the king paused until the applause died down. "Today is said birthday and now we would be very gratified of you would join us in singing...?" He gestured to his wife who stood and the cue was given to the orchestra; a familiar tune began playing.

All rose and sang "Happy Birthday" to Edward, nearly all anyway; Isabella didn't even pretend to sing. Applause followed as Edward stood and took his father's place on the stage, Carlisle moved to stand before the middle throne; they waited until the king and queen were seated to sit themselves.

"Guests," he said. "As my father has already stated we are thankful for your attendance here this evening. I wanted to give my personal thanks to you all; to the nobles and the royalty for leaving your homes and many duties to be here, to the staff for their hard work and perseverance in making these last three days as wonderful as they could, and to the people of Washington for their support of my family," he bowed. "Once again, thank you," more applause. "And now," he hesitated and seemed to take a deep breath before continuing. "Now, before we move onto the candle blowing and cake cutting, my mother and father have one last announcement to make."

There was a sudden rush of whispers, no one had heard that there was anything else to this last day of celebration; there hadn't even been any rumors of it. They were all quite interested in learning of it. They spoke amongst themselves in hushed voices, speculating about what the proclamation would be while the king and queen took a moment to gather themselves.

The hushed voices died away as the elder Cullen's took their places. "Today," Queen Esme began. "Is a great day, we celebrate my son and the twenty years he has lived upon this Earth. Today we will also celebrate change and the passing of time."

Her husband took her hand and continued. "We do not wish to call attention away from Edward, this is his day, but a matter of importance must be spoken of," he paused a moment to collect his thoughts and then continued. "In exactly one year I will step down from my position as King of Washington."

A collective gasp came from the crowd. All had been stunned into silence, even Isabella. If she'd had any expectations about that night, they'd all been shattered. _This_ was as unexpected as it could possibly be; no one had any inkling or suspicion of this.

The king raised his hand for silence when surprised chatter broke out. "Please, hold your comments for just a little while longer."

Esme took over then, continuing the speech. "Edward will become king on his twenty-first birthday...provided he can find a wife," another joint gasp. "A year is not much time to find love, we know, and so we have decided to help him in the process." She nodded to a few servants who'd been inconspicuously standing off the side and they began handing out sealed envelopes to all those present. "We will conduct a world wide search for out sons true love. We urge you to tell anyone you know who may be interested in participating in said search. All women are welcome, regardless of race or class."

"Kings!" Carlisle said. "Queens! Announce this to the people of your countries, let them all know of this plan of ours. The more women involved the better chance we have of finding the one our son is meant to be with. Please refer to the papers in the envelopes for further information, there are more explicit details contained therein."

"Now," Esme said with a smile. "Please rise once again as Edward blows out the candles on his cake."

A table was brought upon the stage, as well as the cake, and all stood as they'd been asked, but it must be confessed that none paid much attention to the cake that had taken so much planning and effort to create. It was soon thereafter served and conversation resumed full force. Fireworks followed once the sun had set and after a bit of wandering and settling people began drifting back indoors for bed; the excitement of the day coupled with the news from the king and queen had left them all exhausted.

Once things were cleaned and put away the many of the servants also retired; Isabella meant to as well, but Alice followed her into the bedroom.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Isabella began to get antsy and asked, "What do you think Rosalie will do when she hears of this?"

"Probably go into labor," Alice joked.

Rosalie had worked in the palace only six months before she and Emmett became engaged, and barely three months after that they were married. They had relocated to Rosalie's home town and occasionally Jasper received a letter from her. The latest had come just a week ago with news that she was pregnant with their third child.

Isabella pursed her lips, and asked another question. "Where has Jacob been? I've not seen him all day."

"Well you wouldn't have, would you? Locked up in here the way you were," Alice rolled her eyes. "He was sent to the next city over for something, he won't be back for a day or two."

Isabella nodded and waited for Alice to speak again. She folded and unfolded her hands, crossed and uncrossed her ankles and was finally unable to take the quiet. "Alice!" she exclaimed. "What ever it is you're waiting for me to say....just stop. Tell me what you need to tell me!"

A grin stretched across Alice's face. "That's it!" she laughed at the look on Isabella's face, but quickly sobered. "You are not going to like what I have to tell you. In fact, I'm sure you'll put up a fight about it, but here it is," she stood from the wooden chair and moved so that she was standing before her companion. "You will fill out the application in the envelope and you will submit it."

Isabella gaped. "What?! No, I will not Alice! What are you thinking?!"

"Bella, why _not_?" Alice asked. "What is the worst that could happen, hmm? You realize that you were right to hate him?"

Though she was loath to admit it Isabella knew that her friend was partially correct. "But what is to be gained?" she argued. "Alice, even if I did end up feeling friendly toward him what good would it do me?" she sighed. "I know the queen said that anyone was welcome to try, and I suppose that makes him "open game", but honestly we both know that he'll end up choosing a noble. If I were to learn to care for him and he chose someone else my heart would be broken!"

"Yes, and what if you learn to care for him and he learns to care for you? Isn't that worth the risk, which, by the way, I find minimal? He could be it! He could be the one and your not going to find out because of a silly little thing like a broken heart? 'Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all," she told her. "Were you not thinking only hours ago that you were looking for a change? For a chance to prove yourself to him? Well here it is, staring you in the face, and you are too afraid to go after it."

Bella sat in silence, thinking over what Alice had said to her and wondering how she knew about her most recent issue; she dismissed that question quickly, Alice was Alice after all and she was right. She had told herself she wanted something new, and this would certainly be new, but was it the new she was looking for? Could she prove herself this way? The possible consequences of taking part in this search were great to be sure. Would she be able to deal with the inevitable rejection?

"Everything about me will be critiqued Alice! My appearance, my personality..._everything_ about me will be observed and noted. I will be under even more surveillance than I am now! How will I be able to deal with that pressure? Not to mention the position this could place my work in! What if I offend him and lose my position as penalty?" she was growing a little hysterical.

"Ah, I have noticed dear Bella that you have begun speaking in a different way. You are no longer questioning what 'would' happen, you have moved on to what 'will' happen. I can see that I have persuaded you to do what I already know is best," she laughed a little. "You've offended him before and you are still here," she sat on the bed beside her. "Please believe me when I tell you that this is what you need to do. I will help you through those inevitably difficult situations as best I can. I won't tell you that any of this will be easy, it most certainly will not, but you can do this. It will be good for you...and for Edward." Alice placed her hands over her friends, hoping that for the moment this would be enough reassurance.

"I don't know Alice," Isabella shook her head.

"Well I do know, so trust me. Have I ever been wrong before?"

A/N (Think stereotypical gangsta' voice): Oh snap! Yo my hommies, you didn't see that coming did you? My brotha' from another motha'! Unless yo a girl, then yo my sista' from another mista'!

Leave me some love so I never leave yo another a/n like dis again. I'm out fools.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A/N: Huge thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far and I am so _sorry_ it's taken so long for this chapter to make it up here! My internet has been screwy and so has my computer, the next chapter will be up by September 11th.

Edward and his mother were sitting quietly in the palace library pursuing applications. It was the perfect place for such a monumental undertaking, quiet and secluded. The large room had two floors, thousands of books and a cozy, comfortable feel to it. They sat at a small, round, wooden table on the first surrounded on all sides by sacks filled with the completed questionnaires of applicants.

It had been only seven days since the request had been made, and already hundreds of applications had been received; most of them from Washington. As it turned out many of the royals who'd been present at the party had decided to keep the information of Edward's search from the people of their respective countries and had instead opted to send only the applications of women in their own families; each were hoping for an advantageous marriage. Of course it had been impossible to keep the information secret for long, but the Kings and Queens were hoping that they'd given their own a head start. The deception on the part of the rulers did not surprise Edward, rather it strengthened his belief that he would not find love among the aristocracy.

His parents cautioned him against holding preconceived notions, warning that it might blind him to the amiable qualities that the girls form noble bloodlines possessed. He dismissed their claims feeling sure that if any such qualities existed he would see to them and act accordingly; he found his approach to the situation realistic and believed his parents were being idealistic in their hopes for him.

He was still of the belief that all of this was an unnecessary waste of time. His outlook had not grown brighter with the receiving of so many applications. Rather, he was growing tried of reading through them. Most of, if not all, sang the praises of the individual applying for participation in the next phase of the search. Very few seemed to present a genuine picture of the applicant and he was weary of being deceived by the unrealistic perfection these girls were trying to portray themselves as having. His mother and father were more optimistic than he, but cautiously so; they too noticed the applicants obvious intent to show themselves as flawless. They however chose to see it as a natural reaction to being questioned.

"Edward, it is only natural that they should want to present themselves in the best light possible," Esme soothed as her son's annoyance with his task grew. "If and when they arrive for the next stage of selection we will all see their true colors."

His only acknowledgement was an agitated grunt as he placed a paper in the 'rejection' pile. His unhappiness with his current position was growing by the moment and his mothers reminder that there was more to come only added to his frustration.

Esme sighed. It pained her to see Edward so discontented, but she truly believed that this was best. She knew her son better than he knew himself and he would never be able to find his love on his own. He was too apt to see the negative and unwilling to take the time to search for the positive. Despite his claims to the contrary she knew that he would have difficulty putting his conceptualized impressions aside. Sometimes his stubbornness was an asset, but just now it was hindering the search as well as irritating her.

She set down the application she'd been pursuing. "Why don't you go outside for a while? You've been here with me all day and I believe that you need a change of scenery."

Normally Edward would have appreciated his mother's perceptive nature, but he was able to see past her guise. She was not exactly lying to him, she did think he needed a break, but he could tell that he was grating on her nerves. He got the distinct impression that she was dismissing him and it embarrassed him to be treated in that manner. He hadn't been sent away from either parent since his childhood.

He did as she asked without question; after kissing her on the cheek he left the library and went for a walk out-of-doors.

Alone now, Esme became much more productive than she had been. Without Edward's unconscious sighs, grumbles and mumbled complaints she was able to fly through the rest of the applications within her reach, and then go through the one's Edward had attended too; his rejection pile was much larger than she thought acceptable.

As soon as she was though all of the applications on the table she divided them by country and placed them into their respective labeled bags for sending. She then retrieved a new stack from a bag filled with papers that had yet to be gone over.

Esme had gotten through about half of the new batch when a sudden gust of wind entered through one of the opened windows, blowing the documents to the floor and scattering them. With a sigh she stood and began to collect them when the name upon one of the applications stopped her in her tracks. She straightened her bent position, her eyebrows raised into her hairline and for a moment she was quite confused. She re-read the name and her surprised expression smoothed into a smile.

"Ah," she said before breaking into peals of laughter. This had to be one the most humorous things to have happened in quite a while. "Oh, Isabella," she said through her laughter.

"May I ask what you find so hilarious?" her husband asked, entering the room. He intended to help Esme and Edward with their task now that his duties were completed for the time being.

Rather than answer she handed him the application, still shaking with mirth. She collapsed into the seat that had been vacated by her son as tears began to pool in and fall from her eyes.

Carlisle shook his head at his wife and looked down at what she had given him. He stared at it for a moment and then blinked. Just as his wife had, once his surprise had passed, he began to laugh. That set Esme off, who'd just begun to calm, and for at least fifteen minutes the two were unable to speak clearly. As soon as they'd composed themselves they set to going over the application of their employee. It wasn't the first to have been received, but none had evoked as much of a response as this one.

The familiar slightly slanted cursive writing of the young women in question filled the page. She'd answered everything honestly, and without embellishment. It was a true testament to her character that she'd refrained from mentioning Edward's past treatment of herself, which, as both Carlisle and Esme knew, had been deplorable.

"Well," Esme looked to her husband. "What do you think?"

He sat quietly for a moment before answering with, "I think she was coerced into submitting this."

Esme smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. "By her friend Alice perhaps?"

"Yes, but as she did send it in I see no reason to deny her a chance."

"Of course not. If anything she is the best suited to this...challenge I've come across so far. She knows better than most what this will entail. Isabella has been here since she was a child, and I've always felt that if Edward would be more willing to let go of the past, and act like the gentleman we raised him to be toward her, they would get along well."

"I agree," Carlisle said. "So, she is accepted," he placed her application in the appropriate pile. "I think it would be prudent to keep this information from Edward for the time being. He is surly enough as it is."

* * *

Already Isabella was regretting her decision to follow Alice's advice. She'd done as Alice had directed and filled out the application contained within the envelope she'd received at Prince Edward's official birthday ceremony. It had asked her questions about her personality, her past, her present and future. She'd answered everything as truthfully as possible; she'd written about the death of her parents, and about how she was hoping to find a new situation as a governess.

She'd given her application to Alice who'd read over the things that she'd written and had given her stamp of approval. All she could do now was wait for a response and deal with the aftermath of her decision.

Jacob was less than pleased with what she had done. Far less. Not only was he upset with her, but he was holding Alice partially responsible for the sending of the application. Currently he wasn't speaking to either of them.

His clear disapproval upset Isabella more than it did Alice who had her own reasons for just about everything she did; this course of action was no different. She had seen the way this could turn out, the way it was likely to end up, and it was best for all involved. Unless something drastic happened she was sure that what she had seen in her visions would come to pass. Of course she couldn't tell either Isabella or Jacob what it was she'd seen, but as long as things stayed on course they would both be thanking her within a years time.

Isabella was not so optimistic. She and Jacob had never had a serious argument before and now he was refusing to speak to her. Not only that, but he was avoiding her, whenever the two bumped into each other he would sneer at her before walking away.

The last time he had spoken to her, just after he'd returned from his short trip, they'd had an argument. She remembered it clearly and she had been replaying it in her mind ever since it happened.

She and Alice had been fighting over whether or not filling out and submitting her application had been a good idea. Alice insisted that all would turn right in the end, but Isabella was worried about the time before that. She didn't know how she was going to get through preliminary stages of selection.

Alice was the type of person who could look at the bigger picture without worrying about the details; Isabella did not see things that way. She cared more about the journey than the destination and this particular journey would be a difficult one. To her the outcome almost didn't matter; if the process of getting to that point was to be painful then she would rather not try at all.

Jacob had found them discussing the possible directions and actions to take when the selection process really began and overheard them speaking about whether or not Isabella had answered all the questions in the best way possible. He questioned them both in a fairly calm manner for ten minutes before his anger, and hurt, got the best of him.

"_I cannot believe you Bella, how could you do this too me?!"_

"_Jacob, it isn't like that! I did not do this to hurt you, you have to know that!"_

Clearly he did not believe what she told him. He maintained that if she wanted to refuse him she could have done it in a more tactful, less embarrassing way.

"_You would rather be with Cullen than with me? Do not try to explain yourself because I am in no mood to hear it."_

Isabella was struck by his obvious ire. Jacob was normally very understanding, he had always been careful in his treatment of her; for him to be so harsh and unpleasant toward her was a shock. She hadn't even thought of the way this would effect him, and Alice had not mentioned him at all during the time it took to fill out the application. Isabella realized that the deceitful pixie had done that purposefully, if she'd been thinking of him at the time she wouldn't have sent it in.

Unlike Jacob, Isabella was unable to hold a grudge for an extended period of time and had forgiven Alice only a day after the fallout.

Still she was despondent. She had one friend whom supported her, while the other looked on in anger. This was not something she was equipped to deal with. She had always had the both of them to use as a support system, and now one was part of the reason she needed support.

It was during times like these that she wished she had a mother, or even an aunt, to talk to. With Jacob out of commission and Alice living in her own world Isabella had no one who truly understood her plight. She longed for the days when her mother had been there to answer her questions, even when she didn't like the answers she got.

Feeling very alone she decided to avoid both Jacob and Alice, preferring to keep to herself she went about her work and kept her fears hidden. Not that she was doing a very good job of hiding her abstraction, it was plain to everybody that something was wrong; even Edward noticed her strange behavior.

He bumped into her as he was strolling along the stone walkway out on the grounds and rather than start a fight she simply said, "I'm sorry", walked passed him and kept going. She didn't wait for his reply, or demand an apology as she normally would have. It seemed to him that she hadn't even realized that it was he she'd walked into.

That did not bode well with his ego, and more than that, though he would never admit to it, her preoccupation worried him.

"Isabella!" he called after her, following her and pulling on her hair once he was close enough to get a reaction.

"Go away please," she muttered in a far-away sounding voice. Clearly her mind was elsewhere.

"Aren't you going to yell at me? Or tell me that I am nothing more than a spoiled child?" He prodded her shoulder.

"I'm working right now Edward, go find something constructive to do."

Her manner of speaking had him stopped in his tracks, and he watched as she walked away, back into the palace. She hadn't been condescending, or even annoyed. There was something wrong with her and he found that he did not like it. This was not the Isabella he knew.

He didn't know what to do about her inexplicable behavior and had no way to explain it. So he continued on his way, puzzling over her strange behavior.

"Alice!" he exclaimed when he saw her leaving the stables, straighting her uniform and looking flushed. His eyes narrowed, but he kept his comments to himself; she would not answer his questions if he laughed at her. "Do you know what is wrong with Isabella?"

The black haired girl eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"I just saw her and she didn't shout at me, or get irritated, or...or anything! She ignored me!"

Alice relaxed slightly and smiled at his indignant tone of voice. "She will be fine in time, she is feeling a bit alone at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "As I said, she will be fine, and now I have a question for you."

"Alight," he said cautiously.

"Why does it matter to you?"

His eyes widened at her inquiry, and he was soon glaring at the ground. "It doesn't really, I was only wondering."

He looked very much like a child who'd been caught doing something naughty; he was trying to convince the both of them that he had no real interest in the matter. The sound of Alice's tinkling laugh floated into his ears. "I'm sure. You think about that for a while and come tell me when you're ready to face the truth," she sighed. "You and Bella are so much the same, and that could be a good thing if the two of you would stop with all your nonsense. You are making my life very difficult."

She danced away before he comment or begin an argument.

Edward was now completely out of sorts. Alice's question had thrown him and though he'd told her that he didn't actually care they both knew he was lying. He hadn't wanted to walk away from this conversation more confused than he had been, yet it seemed that whenever he spoke to her that was the way it ended. She left him with few answers and more questions than he'd started with.

He wandered over to a bench and sat upon it, thinking about Alice's question. After about ten minutes he'd gotten nowhere and somehow he felt that when he did find an answer he wasn't going to like it. For the time being he determined to abandon the query and worry about other things, like the girls his mother was choosing while he was not there to reign her in. He wondered if he had been gone a sufficient amount of time yet and then decided that he did not care. He wouldn't let himself think about Alice and her pointless questions and therefore needed something else to occupy his mind.

He returned to the palace library to find both his mother and father pursuing applications. When they noticed him they each snorted with surprised laughter before regaining a hold on their amusement.

Edward frowned at them and waited for an explanation. When he received none he asked, "Do I get to hear the joke?"

"No," his mother answered. "Not yet anyway. Come sit, you may help again."

He did so and found that his parents had made a great deal of progress and had also asked a few of their trusted advisors to help with the selection process. Within three days time they were through the applications and sending out invitations to nearly two hundred women, inviting them to a grand ball. There would be two such parties, about a hundred would attend each, which one being dependent upon their last name.

When Isabella's invitation arrived with a date and time only a month or so away she was thrown into shock. Alice was not in the least surprised, nor was anyone else who'd known that she'd applied.

Alice immediately began preparations for a dress, taking measurements and enlisting the help of the other maids who were nearly as excited as she was. Together they bought fabric and whilst Alice was busy designing and making the clothing they worked twice as hard as they normally did, doing the work Alice was neglecting.

Isabella felt terrible, calling herself an imposition and begging to be allowed to do some of their work for them, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. No one would hear of her doing more than she already was and so she did as much as she could get away with.

With all her worries the month flew past more quickly than any that she remembered and soon the first ball was upon them. She was, once again, not allowed to help with most of the preparations, confined to the kitchen where she cooked and washed dishes.

Whenever anyone passed through they quickly told of all that they saw. Mostly the comments consisted of observations on who was there, how many noble, and who seemed to be genuinely interested in Prince Edward. Sounds of music and laughter could be heard through the night and into the early morning hours. Many of the girls stayed the night in the palace and before departing the next morning after breakfast.

There was a mad rush to clean and prepare things for the next ball, which was only a week after the first and like everyone else Isabella worked hard. When the day finally came she was so exhausted that she protested being made to attend.

"I did not spend a month making you a dress for nothing Bella. You are going."

She kept quiet through most of the day, sleeping as Alice instructed she do. When it got to be around one o'clock Alice woke her and made her eat before hauling her up into the main part of the palace.

"I have secured a you a place to take a long, thorough bath. I do not believe that our bathing room is sufficient."

"Are you sure this is alright?" Isabella asked nervously.

"Positive," once in one of the guest bathroom she began pulling her friends clothing off.

"Alice!"

Isabella was ignored. "There is no time to be modest. I let you sleep far longer than I should have." She got Isabella into the tub which had been recently filled with warm water and scented soap. She scrubbed her raw and then washed her hair with something strawberry scented. Once she deemed Isabella clean she rinsed her with cold water and dried her quickly.

Alice was a veritable force of nature. She powered, perfumed, combed and dressed her friend until she glowed. A knock sounded at the door and another maid came in, carrying the dress that Alice had put so much work into, little white slippers and a small bouquet of white and blue flowers.

"Oh Alice," Isabella said as she held it up. "It's so beautiful." The dress was made of white muslin, with a diagonal, sliver design in the skirt, puffed sleeve caps and long, straight arms.

"Of course," Alice sniffed. "Is your corset tight enough?"

Isabella nodded quickly so it would not be tightened more. "Alight," Alice said. "Into the dress and then I must fix your hair."

Isabella did as she was told and allowed Alice to do as she wished, piling her hair atop her head and to the side, allowing a few strands to hang from there. She then secured many, tiny flower buds into the pile of hair as well as was the old comb. Jewelry was put in place, and finally she was finished.

The entire process took over four hours and when Alice felt that she had done all she could it was nearly time for Isabella to leave her company. The two made their way unnoticed back down to the servants quarters were a couple of other girls, who had both applied and been accepted, were also waiting for the right time to leave. They eyed Isabella and tittered quietly.

The sight of them, dressed up as she was and in her opinion looking far prettier, brought a wave of fear crashing into Isabella's chest. She turned to Alice and said, "I am not ready for this! I cannot go. I know I cannot."

"You can Bella! Please trust me, I know that this is very difficult for you, but you look beautiful. Do you think I would allow you to enter that ballroom without looking as wonderful as I could possibly make you?"

"Well, no Alice, but, but..."

"Then go and show them who you are: Isabella Marie Swan, women on a mission of self-discovery. Prove to them that you are more than the clumsy, easily embarrassed girl they know you to be! You can do this Bella! I know you can!"

The other girls had left by that time and Alice pushed her toward the door. "I am not brave like you are," Isabella insisted. "I did not want to do this in the first place and this is too much pressure! I know that I will trip, or fall, or otherwise embarrass myself and by not going I can prevent that!"

"If you do not go then you will never change their opinion of you! You can at least pretend to be brave, they will not know the difference." Alice shoved Isabella outside and quickly closed the door behind her, bolting it shut and ignoring the angry shouts that came from beyond the door.

Isabella banged her fists against the wood of the barrier to no avail, Alice was not going to give in.

"I do not want to do this," she muttered to herself as she walked toward the front of the palace. She peered around the corner and watched as the girls from the kitchen made their way to the entrance and horse drawn carriages dropped off the new guests of the palace. All were women, and all were beautifully clothed in expensive, one-of-a-kind gowns. Looking down at her own dress, which only minutes ago had seemed to be the only part of the night she would not have to worry about, Isabella saw that, compared to those of the other girls, hers was unbelievably plain. Even the few who were arriving on foot, or horseback and clearly from near by towns were dressed incredibly well. The other servant girls were dressed similarly to herself, but Isabella knew that she was not as courageous as they were.

She would not go. She _could _not go, not feeling the way she did. Alice meant well, but she did not, or maybe refused, to understand the fear and inferiority that Isabella felt. She was just a maid, a maid who had been working in the Palace for most of her life. Edward had seen her at her worst and she brought out the worst in him. This had all been a mistake.

She took a deep breath and turned to wander the ground until the ball was over and to think of some way to explain to Alice why she had not gone, but was prevented form doing so by a tall, dark figure.

"Bella," a familiar voice said.

"Oh!" she huffed, placing a hand over her racing heart. "Jacob, you frightened me!"

The light of the setting sun glinted off his pearly white teeth as he smiled. "I thought I might, sorry." The smile dropped from his face. "Bella, you have to go in there."

"What?!" she asked, startled. "Alice sent you, of all people, to force me into going? What did she bribe you with, hmm?" she asked condescendingly.

"Nothing, Alice did not send me, I haven't spoken to her in days," he placed his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place. "Bella, you know exactly how I feel for you," he put a finger to her lips when she opened her mouth to interrupt. "Shush, let me speak. You know how I feel, but not how you feel. I'm sorry that I've been so pushy, I only want what's best for you and right now I think...Well, I think that right now you need to have a better sense of self."

She wriggled in grasp until he let go. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't know who you are Bella! I know you, but you don't. I know that you can go into that party over there and wow them with you purity and..."

"My what?! Jacob, you are sprouting nonsense! What in the world does my...my 'status', have to do with anything? I'm sure they are all the same as I," her face felt hot. Why would he have said that?

Jacob was also blushing, but because of his already dark complexion it was impossible to tell. "That isn't what I meant! Lord, Bella you don't—you don't understand!" He paced away from her and then back. "And that's just it, you never see what everyone else sees or hear what everyone else hears. Ever," Jacob placed his hands on her shoulders once again. "When you were watching the arrival of the girls just now, what were you thinking?"

"I—I was thinking about how lovely and elegant they all looked. I was thinking about the way I can't hold a candle to them," she whispered, looking downward.

In his frustration with the way she saw herself Jacob shook her slightly. "When I look at them all I see are dolls. Dolls that have been dressed up and are ready to be played with. Most them have nothing to offer anyone other than a pretty face Bella. Not all, but most. Anyone could see that, anyone but you because you always look at things the wrong way. If there is one thing I hate about you it is your self-deprecating attitude!"

"Self-deprecating?! Jacob, you say that you love me and if you do then you must be blinded by it. I am not self-deprecating, I am honest."

"Yes, honestly self-deprecating," he gave her another little shake. "It isn't just me Bella, you don't notice it, everyone but you can see how wonderful you are." He threw up his hands in frustration. "What I am trying to say is that you will never get over not going to that ball. You will worry over it for months and not because you'll think you missed something important, but because you'll feel bad about letting everyone else down.

"It's always about everyone else with you, and I think you need to get over that. It's good that you care, and that you try to help, but you are so focused on other people that you don't think of yourself. The way you see yourself hurts me! It hurts Alice, and Jasper and everyone who knows you! You need to learn more about yourself and you can't do that if you're spending your life the way you are now."

"I wasn't planning on staying here forever," she muttered.

"I know all about that. You were going to leave and become a governess, right?"

"How..how did you know?"

"Everyone knows Bella," he sighed. "But what good would it do you? You would essentially be living the same life in a different setting. The point is that even though I hate the idea of you making eyes at Edward,"

"I wouldn't be making eyes at him," she spluttered.

Jacob continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You need to do this because if you don't you will never understand who you are. You have no sense of self and you need to find some."

Isabella glared at the ground angrily. She knew who she was, of course she did! Jacob was wrong about that, but not about disappointing Alice and quite possibly the King and Queen.

She took a deep, steadying breath before addressing him. "You, Jacob Black, have no idea what you're talking about. None whatsoever and I am beyond offended at the accusations you have flung at me. You are wrong to say that I do not know myself, but you were correct about one thing, if I do not attend this ball as I have said I would I will be disappointing numerous people. And so, even though I am angry and will undoubtedly embarrass myself in some highly awkward manner I will go." She walked closer to him and poked his chest with her index finger. "But don't you think for a minute that I would not have eventually come to this conclusion myself, or that you had any real influence on my decision, because I assure you, you did not."

Jacob watched as Isabella stalked away from him and into the Palace, following the crowd as their invitations were checked and they allowed to enter the building. She would be fine, and she would thank him later...Or at least, he hoped she would.

A/N: Links to pictures of dress and hairstyle are on my profile. R&R Please and thank you!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A/N: Quick thanks to all anonymous reviewers! And there is an AWESOME site with all kinds of things about clothing and dress in the 1800's; I'm putting a link on my page, it's listed under Twitale.

**After the first line break is Edward's day on the day of the ball. Those things are taking place during the time Bella was getting ready and having her melt down.**

Upon entering the ballroom Isabella was greeted by the king and queen who apologized profusely for Edwards absence from the greeting line, to which she assured them that she did not mind. She received a piece of paper with her name upon it and a pin, she attached those to the bosom of her dress as she saw others had done. The Carlisle and Esme shared a conspirators smile once she had walked away and laughed quietly at the idea of Edward's expression once he saw Isabella at his ball.

Isabella took note of the extravagant decorations, entertainment and the array of food stuffs the guests had been provided with. She also observed the other women in attendance who all seemed to be giving each other the once over. She found the many glares she received unnerving and avoided walking through the center of the room, preferring to keep to the walls and out of the spotlight.

While she walked she examined the large arrangements of exotic flowers, they were brightly colored and placed in vases bigger than any she had seen before. Oranges, reds, even purples and blues, Isabella was enthralled by the new and different blooms. They all had a sweet, nectarous smell and she found it slightly familiar, but could not think where she could have smelled it before.

She passed by a fortune teller who seemed to be popular with the guests and made a mental note to stop back later. It wasn't that she believed she would learn anything of interest, but she would need something to do to pass the time.

"Alice would be much more reliable," she murmured to herself.

As she made her way toward one of the two buffet tables she caught pieces of conversations, all surrounding Prince Edward and gossip concerning the previous ball. Many were concerned by his failure to make an appearance twenty minutes into the dance and compared this to his early arrival to the previous.

While trying to be inconspicuous she failed to notice the two people coming toward her until one of them called out to her.

"Bella!"

She looked up to see Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory, both of whom she thought looked overly made up; that did not surprise her. She glanced around and decided that most of the women were the same in that respect, they were all wearing far too much makeup to appear natural.

Jessica threw her arms around Isabella who awkwardly hugged her back. Lauren gave one of her sickly sugary smiles; it appeared that neither girl had much changed in personality over the years.

"Oh Bella!" Jessica exclaimed. "It has been so long!"

"Yes, it has been too long Isabella," Lauren said, her false smile still in place.

She would have to deal with them, she decided. Jessica at least seemed genuinely glad to see her, for the time being at least. Lauren...well she had never enjoyed her company, but she had always been able to make do before.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" Isabella allowed Jessica to lead her over to a small, round table surrounded by chairs. Lauren followed them and the three sat together.

"Everything has changed so much since you went away Bella! Angela has married, you will never guess to whom! Benjamin Cheney! That short boy we all used to poke fun at! Well, the two eloped only weeks ago and he has since made his fortune! It was quite by chance that his little mining company struck gold and I have always said that he though he was small in stature, he would find a way to become large in status," Jessica chattered on about the affairs of Forks. Isabella listened for a time, she was interested in hearing about her home town, but it soon became clear that she and Jessica had different ideas about what was important.

She tuned her out and set to watching the goings on of the ball. Edward had yet to appear and his rudeness, though not seeing him suited her just fine, grated on her nerves. All of these things were being done for him and yet he had the audacity to ignore his guests and embarrass his parents. He was acting in such an improper manner. She could not understand why all these women were so enamored with him.

"...Michael Newton and I have become quiet close as of late, you know. It is being speculated that he will propose to me! Unless of course, I am the one the Prince..."

Finally she could take no more of Jessica's speech and interrupted her. "Perhaps we should go to see the fortune teller!" she tried her best to sound enthusiastic. "She may have some insight as to the outcome of this search."

Jessica was easily distracted and readily agreed with Isabella. Lauren however declined and with a haughty flip of her cornsilk hair left the other two to themselves and she joined a discussion about the Prince and about how he was now thirty-five minutes late.

Isabella led the way to the line for the fortune teller, and she allowed Jessica the spot in front of her. Eventually the two were next in line, the older woman spoke quietly to Jessica so that she, as the current client, was the only one hear what she told of. Jessica left the woman with a mixture of awe and disappointment visible in her eyes.

Just when Isabella sat in the chair before the fortune teller the sounds of a commotion began behind her. She abstained from turning to see what had caused the disturbance, because she was almost sure she knew what it was and when a few girls were unable to keep from squealing she knew she was correct; Edward had arrived.

The teller welcomed her and asked for her palm and before beginning her reading told her not to speak her name. "It will confuse my inner eye," she said and then began. "Your life line suggests that you will have a tendency to be introverted and pessimistic. Your heart line, the way it curves, signifies that you have a great capacity for understanding people. The destiny line is forked, and that means that you will increase your wealth, a very lucky line. Now the mind line, see how it points downward toward the Moon Mount? That tells me you greatly enjoy literature and poetry, you have a sensitive personality and like to daydream when you get the chance. However I sense that time to do so is something you do not have much of."

Isabella was stunned by how accurate the teller seemed to have been. "Um, yes, I guess that's right."

The woman, who looked to be in her fifties observed Isabella. "You are skeptical I see. I do not blame you, for you know one who sees much more than I. A friend of yours I think?" she did not wait for a response. "Well, let us consult the cards." She asked Isabella if she had any specific questions.

"No, I do not."

"Alight then, we can begin." She had Isabella shuffle the deck and lay the cards in a formation the older woman called The Mirror Spread. "This spread of cards will asses your existing relationships. As this is primarily a search for the wife of the Prince, we will focus on him."

Once Isabella had finished placing the cards, one at the top and in middle a little above all the rest, three in a downward line on either side, and one at the bottom middle below the rest, she turned over the cards. She then waited for the woman to explain them to her.

"The first card, the Moon, seems to warn of enemies, and falsehoods, it could also indicate that you should use your natural intuition. The second card, the Emperor, represents the way you feel about the Prince, it shows that you see him as a person of great energy, and enthusiasm; like a child. Also like a child you see him as a man who is impatient and demanding," she went on to describe Isabella's relationship with Edward in such detail that by the end of the reading Isabella was feeling very out of sorts.

The woman summarized the reading. "Well, the two of you share a complex relationship. You have many obstacles to overcome, and though you share many individual strengths neither of you have a willingness to combine them. I do however believe that a time will come when you will each need the other and then you will find that you work well together."

Isabella nodded along with what she was being told, though truthfully it did not make much sense to her. She thanked the woman for her time.

"I do not require a thank you, it was my pleasure," she paused. "I would like to do a quick reading of the immediate future for you, do you object?"

"No."

"Alight then," she allowed Isabella to once again shuffle the cards. This time she only drew two. "I see that the cards have a warning for you. You should avoid large crowds tonight, if at all possible, and be prepared for a moment of embarrassment induced by one who does not think highly of you. Do not fret over what this person says, or does for one you would not expect to defend you will act in your defense."

"Oh, I already planned on keeping to the wayside tonight, I tend to be a little uncoordinated and a crowd of people would do nothing to help me stay level. Thank you again," she left the woman.

She wandered over to one of the buffet tables, she was feeling a bit peckish and, with the appearance of Jessica and Lauren, she hadn't gotten the chance to eat earlier as she'd been intending to. She took a plate and loaded up on small hors'douvres; she was particularly fond of the cold cuts.

She sat at the same table she'd been at earlier with the other two girls, she wasn't the only one there, but she made no attempts at conversation.

When Queen Esme said, "If you will all form a line the Price will be able to greet you properly", she and the other girls at the table did not move, believing that she meant it to be optional. "All of you please," she continued.

So Isabella stood, leaving her plate on the table and went to stand in line. She paid no mind to the whispers of the women around her, instead she watched as Edward was forced to greet every girl who lined up to see him, chuckling as he repeatedly bowed and kissed the backs of hands.

She soon grew tired of watching the Prince grimace and turned her thoughts to the words of the fortune teller. Much of what she'd said was true, and her knowledge of Alice was more than a little surprising, but Isabella wondered if she could take what she had been told seriously. Even if she did, did it matter? The woman had spoke as though the future was quite determined, and if that was the case then knowing it would do no good. There was no way for her to change it, or to speed it along, so what was the point?

She wondered if any of the women had asked about their chances with Prince Edward, they must have, and she wondered what the cards and shown them. No one seemed to be speaking about their time with the fortune teller, so Isabella assumed that whatever they'd been told had not been favorable. If they had received conformation that they would be the one to be chosen the bragging would have begun and she'd yet to hear anything about the fortune teller.

"Well," she muttered. "It doesn't much matter what they were told, it has nothing to do with me," she sighed. "Alice will want to hear all about this." She decided to spend her time thinking of ways to quickly explain the nights events in a manner that would satisfy her small friend. She had already grown weary and was sure that she would want nothing more than to fall into bed as soon as she left.

Soon enough Edward reached her. "Hello and thank you for...Isabella?" he asked, sounding surprised

With a sigh she said, "Hello Prince Edward. Thank you for inviting me to your ball."

"Uh, you look lovely," he said before moving on.

His spoken observation both confused and embarrassed her, and her blush appeared. She soon realized that she had not been the only one to hear Edward's statement. Frowns and glowers were being sent her way, she shrunk away from them, trying her best to ignore the angry stares.

As soon as he had finished with the line of girls she returned to her place at the table and sat again. She glanced at the pillar and scroll clock situated in the middle of the table, and saw that it read seven forty-five. It had only been about an hour since she'd arrived.

The ball had officially begun at six, but many had not arrived until six thirty or a little later. Isabella guessed that the bulk of the guests had been there since around six thirty and so the party would continue until at least eleven o'clock, if not later. She hopped that she would be able to leave earlier than that, she had work to do the next day; she didn't think either of her employers would feel offended if she left a bit early. They knew better than most the work she had to do.

She would wait to see what the other palace girls did before she left, perhaps they would leave early as she intended to.

* * *

The day of the second ball had arrived and Prince Edward was dreading it. He felt no compulsion to attend.

He'd gone to the first with little argument, even arriving early in hopes that he would be able to leave sooner. He'd had no such luck. The women had flocked to and around him, clinging when his parents forced him to choose a dancing partner, and batting their eyelashes at a most alarming rate. When he'd not so subtly complained of feeling tired his mother and farther ignored him while the guests made him sit and gathered around him; each cooing over how he needed rest, none realizing that it was they he wanted to get away from.

Between the time of that dance and the next he'd allowed his parents to choose twenty-five females they thought he might like better with a second meeting. He had refused to take part in the decision making process, maintaining that he had greatly disliked one and all and that no amount of time spent with them would change his mind.

Tanya had been invited to that ball, and he knew his parents had invited her back for the third stage of selection. She felt that she had a prior claim to Edward and had made a show of how well they were acquainted by staying close to him throughout the evening and telling of how well their families got along. Edward vehemently denied her claims, but she only tittered and whispered to others that he must have been trying to be fair to them all; once he was out of earshot of course. She clearly believed that he would choose her to be his wife.

He'd escaped to a moment of quiescences by consulting the fortune teller, who had ordered everyone away so that she could work in peace. He hadn't intended to actually have his fortune told, but the woman insisted and he did not decline.

"You have already found the woman you will love, in fact you may already," she'd told him. "However, you do not yet realize it and her heart is hardening against you. I see that you will have much trouble when courting her. She will not believe that you are sincere in your affections."

He'd told her that he did not know whom she was speaking of and she had only laughed, saying that he would soon understand. She had then shooed him away, telling him that he could not delay the inevitable any longer.

That he'd understood and with a thank you he had returned to the throng of guests.

Currently he was hiding in his sitting room and playing his piano. He had hopped that venting his emotions through music would calm him, but it had been an hour and still he was on edge.

He let his song come to an end and instead took up pacing. Back and forth he walked, his long, powerful strides taking him across the room and back in fewer then twenty steps. He did that for nearly ten minutes before throwing himself into a chair and closing his eyes.

This was not what he wanted. He did not want to be forced to choose a wife in such a manner as this. Parties were all well and good, but only when he was enjoying them. He felt like as though he was being put on display for the pleasure of the women who were hopping to become his bride.

They were interested in him only for the way he looked and for the status that would come with a marriage. They had no interest in knowing him, not now at any rate; he had heard them speaking of how things like that could be attended to after they were married. Mothers were advising their daughters to tell lies, to put on a show of what they thought he would most like to see. They had no idea of the ways in which their time would be demanded, their personal lives invaded. Even the women of royal birth seemed to see his search as a game to be won, a competition and he was the prize they were all after.

He had no patience for their petty gossip about one another. More than one woman had told him stories of the others at the gathering, scandalous things that had been done or participated in. Each of them claiming that they would never have spoken of it, except that they felt he had a right to know the true personalities of the women lest he be deceived. He remembered assuring them that he would not be, by _anyone_. They of course missed his insinuating tone.

He did not want to attend the next ball that would be held in four hours time, he felt that he had no reason to go. He knew what he would find, more women interested in his wealth and position, more women who would tell any lie necessary to get into his good graces, more women with little personality and more women who lacked common sense; had they any they would not have placed themselves in this insane position.

How could he be expected to choose one from among them when they had all given such terrible first impressions? He saw nothing good in any of them, other than beauty and that was not enough to hold his attention. Physical attraction, though he felt it necessary for a lasting relationship, was far form the only component he was looking for. He needed to be able to have an honest conversation with a woman, she had to tell him how she felt; whenever he'd tried to get one the guests to air a view on a subject they immediately turned the question around on him and then claimed to feel that same way. That was far from honest. He had gone so far so to speak of ridiculous things to see who, if anyone, would disagree with him; none had.

He had been thinking on this subject more and more as time went by. When it had become apparent that his parents were serious in staging this search he had set to figuring out what it was he wanted in his wife appearance wise, and personality wise.

He had come to the conclusion the he preferred brunettes to blonds or red heads. He supposed that must have been a trait among the males in his family line as his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all married women of darker hair color. He was also partial to the eye colors of brown and green; the former more so than the latter. He did not want a wife who was taller than himself and he realized that his feelings had more to do with pride than anything else. He wanted to find one that 'fit' him the way his mother 'fit' his father.

In personality he needed to find a woman who complimented him; the light to his dark, so to speak. When he thought about he had a very dominate personality, it had probably come from being the only child of a wealthy family and having always gotten what he wanted; that may have done him more harm than good. He needed someone who could keep him in check and be prepared to tell him "No".

He would need someone calm, because he had the tendency to get riled up about small things and fixate on problems; his music helped him stay tranquil and level headed, but once he was king there would little time for piano playing.

She would have to be truly good and kind, she would need to be truthful, and perhaps most of all she could not be someone who would be easily intimidated by himself or anyone else.

He had not met anyone like that at the ball and he sincerely doubted that he would at the one to come.

Edward stood from his sitting position and stretched his arms above his head, listening to the cracking and popping of his joints as he did so. He resumed pacing for a time before leaving the room with the intent of finding his parents and trying to convince them that he was ill.

He checked the throne room first, but neither was there and so he went to the library; they were not there either. He knocked on their bedroom door, but received no response and heard no sound from within. He was deliberating on where they could have gone when the answer hit him; of course they would be in the ballroom. The one place he would not venture. Oh, if he went there to speak with them they would claim to be directing the decorating of the room, but he knew better. They were trying to force him into participating and he would not do it. He wanted nothing to do with any of it.

He returned to his sitting room, stopping a maid on the way and asking her to report to the kitchen that he wanted lunch. When it arrived he ate without tasting it and once finished, having nothing better to do with his time, he went to lay down intending to be up again in an hour or so.

Edward drew the heavy curtains of the windows, shed his shirt, and trousers after pulling off his boots, and climbed into bed. For a while he stared at the ceiling, wondering how he would get through the night. Where would he find sanity in that chaos? His father and mother were of no help, they compared this to a custom common among birds; pushing the babies out of the nest and forcing them to fly. The women there...God no, he would not be turning them for help.

With a sigh he rolled onto his side and pulled blankets tightly around himself, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety. He clenched his eyes shut and eventually his grip on the blankets slackened, his frowning face relaxed, and he fell to sleep.

While he slept he dreamed and his dream reflected his worries and feelings about the few hours that were to come. Colors swirled and noises seemed loud; he stood atop a table trying to escape a sea of people who were doing their best to pull him down to the floor where they were. He could make out a few faces, Tanya's and those of other women he'd met at the previous ball. They shouted at him and shook his table, hoping to make him fall off. Somehow he knew that if he did all hope would be lost; there was no one there to help him. His parents were nowhere to be seen and he had no friends among the crowd.

When he woke he felt no more rested than he had before he'd gone to sleep, in fact he almost felt worse. He groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He reached over to this bedside table, he had a clock there. Another groan escaped him, he'd slept an hour later than he'd planned to. He estimated that he would be nearly ten minutes late to the ball.

Edward pushed himself into sitting position and off the bed. He washed himself with the cold water in a washing basin and a bar of soap as he didn't have time to fully bathe himself. He then dressed himself in a white shirt, red colored vest, a tailcoat, stripped trousers and boots that reached his knees. He placed a golden pocket watch within his vest, made sure that his necktie was straight and was careful to fix his hair. His parents would be angry enough with his timing, he did not need to give them another reason to be upset with him.

Once finished he checked his pocket watch, and left his room. He walked quickly through the halls of the palace, and was two floors away from the ballroom when he was forced to come to a stop.

"Edward Cullen."

His eyes narrowed. "Jacob Black."

Jacob was not serving in the ballroom and therefore would not be able to watch over Bella. He would be damned if he allowed Cullen to hurt her while he wasn't there to help her. He did not know that Edward had no knowledge of her submitting an application, much less her acceptance. His concern lay with Isabella.

"Alright Cullen, I realize that you and Bella do not get along well and I do not pretend to understand why she would do this, but let me warn you that if you cause her any sort of pain you will answer to me."

Edward sneered at Jacob. "I have no idea what you are talking about Black. As usual you are spouting nonsense that has no bearing on myself. I am sure Isabella will appreciate your undying support," he made to pass the boy.

Jacob blocked him and they stared each other down. Jacob broke first. "Fine, pretend that you don't understand, but I am telling you that if do anything, and I mean anything, to hurt Bella then you had better watch your back."

"Once more Black I do not know why you chose now to confront me on a subject that you clearly do not understand. It is true that your Isabella and I often argue, but I have never subjected her to lasting damage nor do I plan to. So, as I said, I am sure she will thank you for holding her interests before your own, but now I must really be going. I was already going to be tardy to a party being held in my honor, and now I will be even later. Thank you for airing you opinions," he dodged around Jacob who tried to block him once again and ran in a very undignified way down the hall and a staircase.

He stopped for a breath and to fix his hair before continuing to the ballroom. He stood outside the door for moment, collecting himself. With one last glance at his watch to see how much time he would need to account for he pushed the double doors open and was almost immediately enveloped in an ocean of people.

Squeals and shrieks sounded as excitement overwhelmed the women who normally would have been very careful in maintaining a controlled expression of behavior. Only a few managed to sustain a demeanor of composure. It was not long before the others realized that they were acting in a very undignified manner and calmed themselves, but still they did not give him much room for moving and they all insisted on asking him questions; each trying to be heard over the others.

"If you will all form a line," Queen Esme called over the din. "The Price will be able to greet you properly."

A gasp came from the crowd and they did as they were told, most of them at least.

"All of you please," Esme said, choking back a laugh. Isabella was one of the few reluctant to do as asked and the only who refused out of dislike rather than embarrassment.

As soon as all the girls were standing in line they repeated the greeting presentation. Edward showed no more than polite interest in any of the women, but they all whispered once he'd greeted them that they were sure he'd been especially excited to see them.

Edward went through the motions of kissing hands and saying "Hello, thank you for coming," and such. He almost did not need to pay attention as he went, the process of greeting so ingrained in his mind that he probably could have done it in his sleep.

He was halfway down the line before his attention was forced.

"Hello and thank you for...Isabella?" he asked, surprised, his stupor broken.

She sighed. "Hello Prince Edward," she flashed him a dazzling, and completely false, smile. "Thank you for inviting me to your ball."

"Uh," his mind went blank. He had never seen Isabella dressed the way she was now, and certainly she had never smiled at him that way; though he realized it was counterfeit, it left him reeling. "You look lovely," he blurted, before turning red and quickly proceeding to the next girl in line.

Edward completed the greeting line and was prepared to go back to Isabella and demand to know why she was at his ball, but he was not given the chance.

"Prince!" Lauren intercepted him on his way toward Isabella. She, like the others, had seen the way he'd greeted the brown haired girl, but unlike the others held onto previously made memories of Isabella. Not only that, but she clutched at her grudges with both hands, and she had never liked the Swan girl. "Prince Edward," she continued when he turned. "I, um, saw how you greeted Isabella, and I was wondering how well you knew her?"

Edward frowned at the blond girl and quickly read the paper pinned to her dress. "Lauren, I must ask what business that is of yours?"

"Oh! Well, I've know Isabella for quite a long time, we grew up together in Forks actually," she smoothed her hair away from her face. "I was wondering if you might like to hear a...story about her, from our childhood?"

Lauren was, once again, embracing her inclination toward jealousy and allowing it to control her. She wasn't sure what she was going to tell the Prince, but she would use every advantage she had. Isabella Swan had far too much in her favor, it simply was not fair, and she wanted to be the one to even the circumstances.

Edward was intrigued by what Lauren offed him. He did not know very much about Isabella's life before the palace. "Actually, I would be interested. Let us sit for a moment," he led the way to a table far from the one Isabella was sitting at.

Lauren smiled smugly behind his back and followed. They sat and were immediately surrounded by a crowed of girls who were all acting as if they were not paying attention to the Prince and his conversation.

"Well, did you know," Lauren began having remembered, what she thought, one the most perfect topics to engage him with. "That when she was young, Isabella often spoke ill of you? She once said that she believed you to be nothing but a spoiled child!"

A gasp came from those who had crowded around them. To think that anyone, much less a fellow female, could have ever said those things about their beloved Prince Edward was nearly unbelievable.

They all looked to Edward to see his reaction to the revelation. To their surprise he did not appear disturbed or even offended. In fact, he laughed.

Edward knew, after the first few words out of her mouth, what Lauren was trying to do. He'd already resolved to appear completely at ease no matter what it was she told him, but hearing that even before they'd met Isabella had been suspicious of him was more than he'd expected. He could not help but to laugh and upon seeing the looks on the faces of those around him made it even funnier.

He regained control of himself and stood saying, "I must meet with other guests now, but thank you for that...amusing tale. If you'll excuse me," and he left her, to search for Isabella.

Lauren realized that her story had not had the effect she'd been hoping for and decided that something else would have to be done. She stood as well and scanned the room for the cause of her envy and for inspiration as to her next course of action.

When the waiters arrived carrying trays with flutes of red wine upon them she knew what she would do. She found Isabella, who was speaking to another girl, took a glass of wine and made her way over to them. On the way there she asked Jessica to call for Isabella once she was walking behind her.

Her plan went exactly the way she'd hopped. When Jessica called for Isabella she turned and knocked into Lauren, consequently spilling the contents of the drinking glass.

"Oh my! Isabella! I am so sorry!" Lauren exclaimed. "You really should be more careful, I would have thought that after all this time you would have learned to be a bit more graceful."

Bella looked down at herself. Her dress, the one Alice had worked so incredibly hard to create, was ruined, stained a deep red by the wine Lauren had caused her to spill upon herself. Tears pooled in her eyes as she took in the scene around her. Everyone, not only a few, but each and every girl there for the ball was laughing at her. She wasn't sure whether or not they actually found Lauren's 'accident' funny, but she did know that they, like Lauren, thought that surely this would turn Prince Edward against her.

Edward was not laughing and he glared at his parents who looked shocked to say the least. They had forced all of this upon him, inviting these women, who truly were selfish children, into his house, into his life. They had promised him that he would find one among them to love and this...This cemented his belief that he would not.

He broke away from the group around him and strode to where Isabella was standing. She quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes. "Come here Bella," he grabbed her by the hand, pulling her away from Lauren who looked annoyed to say the least and held her close. He noticed his mother speaking to the orchestra, they struck up a slow waltz.

"I—I did not give you permission to call me by that name," she stuttered, looking down and away from him. She dropped her voice and glared at him from beneath her lashes. "And I certainly will not dance a _waltz_ with you!"

"You will," he said earnestly. "You are in no position to refuse me," he inclined his head toward her, and put his lips to her ear. "Do you not want to show that girl, Lauren, that her childish actions will get her nowhere and gain her no respect? Do you not want to show those..." he took a deep breath. "The others the same thing?"

She had difficulty formulating a reply. She could not be sure which emotions were making it hard for her to speak; were they the ones of sadness and shame, or the ones of excitement and astonishment?

"I—I suppose..."

"Well good, because we are going to do so now."

Edward placed his right hand on Isabella's lower back and held the other up. She made a face, but slid her hand into his. Slowly he stepped forward with his left foot, and she stepped back with her right. He then stepped forward and to the right with his right foot; tracing an upside-down letter 'L' in the air with his foot as he did so. He shifted his weight to his right foot and kept his left foot stationary before sliding his feet together. Isabella mirrored his movements, stepping forward with her left foot when he stepped back with right.

They went through the motions of the dance, oblivious to the uproar they had caused, staring into each others eyes. The waltz had come to the kingdom of Washington from a country called Austria, and was considered highly improper because of the dance position; the partners stood extremely close to one another. In Washington and many other countries, Austria was generally regarded as an overly romantic nation and their form of dance nearly immoral; seeing Prince Edward dance the waltz with an orphaned servant girl, as Lauren had told them, was more than the guests of the palace could manage.

Lauren was perhaps the most enraged of them all, and understandably so. She'd been convinced that her 'story' would show Prince Edward that Isabella was unworthy of his attention and her plan had backfired. Not only was he closer to Isabella then he would have been had she not said or done anything, but he was _waltzing_ with her.

The anger of the crowd had quieted from a roar to a babble. The girls had broken up into groups and were grumbling amongst themselves about the injustice they were being subjected to.

When the orchestra ended the song the two stood quietly for a moment, noticing for the first time the stares that they were receiving. Silence prevailed.

"Umm, that was...nice," Isabella said, breaking away from him. "Thank you. I suppose I...well—I am...going to leave now. I mean, I have to work in the morning and," she glanced around at the expressions on the faces of the women.

"Yes, right," Edward took a step back. "Well, I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Perhaps," she nodded at him, took one last look at the faces of those surrounding her and walked quickly from the ballroom; exiting through the door Edward had entered.

She nearly ran down the hallways, stopping only when she heard footsteps to hide behind a curtain; an odd sense of déjà vu overtook her when she did that, but she dismissed it for the moment. She made it from the second floor ballroom to the lowest level kitchen in record time.

Once there she was met by Alice who began peppering her with questions as soon as she saw her, and was so excited that for a few minutes she did not notice the ruined dress or that Isabella had returned after only two and a half hours. Isabella had just begun to hope that she would get away without having to explain when Alice's normally observant nature returned.

"Oh my word Bella! Your dress, what in the world happened?!"

She sighed, resigned to explaining. "Lauren, a girl I once knew in Forks. She has never liked me Alice, and when..." she blushed and skipped ahead a bit. Alice raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking. "Well, she has always been jealous of me, why I have never understood, but she caused an accident and well," her tears reappeared. "Oh Alice! She made me spill wine on the dress! I am so sorry, I was trying so hard to be careful and to watch what I was doing and she had to ruin it. You worked so hard and now...and now," she sniffled.

Alice enveloped her friend in a hug, her mind already moving a mile a minute. "Do not worry Bella. I can fix anything. Go change and give me the dress."

Isabella changed into her nightgown quickly and did as Alice told her.

"Thank you," Alice hugged Isabella again. "As I said, I can fix anything so don't fret over this. Even if there was nothing I could do about this I would never blame you for it Bella," she patted her friends shoulder. "Is there anything else you would like to speak of? Maybe telling me more about it would help."

"I am just too tired to talk tonight Alice, might we do that tomorrow? I feel that I need sleep." She did not even know how to begin to speak of all that had taken place.

To her great surprise Alice agreed without beginning an argument. "Alright, I can see that you want rest, go to bed dear Bella. Sleep well," she kissed her friend on the cheek and left for her own room.

Isabella brushed out her hair and tied it back before climbing into bed. She pulled her covers up over head and focused on the crashes of thunder that had begun to sound outside rather than on her confused feelings regarding Edward and fell to sleep with ease.

Edward was faced with a more difficult task. Without Isabella and the distraction of keeping her from feeling too badly he was forced to work through his emotions regarding the way the masses had reacted to Lauren's actions. That took him nearly one full minute and as soon as he knew what he wanted to say he was going to say it.

Luckily Esme realized that her son would be unable to speak neither rationally nor calmly and petitioned Carlisle to say something before Edward had the chance.

"Excuse me," the King began. "I think that this ball has ended. We would like to..." for the first time in his life Carlisle did not know what he could truthfully say to defuse the situation. He looked to his wife who nodded at him and subtly mouthed, 'lie'. "...thank you for coming. You will be contacted soon. Under the circumstances, we feel that it would be best for you all to begin your journeys home tonight. We will be more than happy to provide you with transportation to the train station, or a hotel, or straight to your town if you need us to."

Edward left the room before his father finished speaking and headed to his room where he resumed his pacing. He tried to sleep, but his afternoon nap had chased any feelings of drowsiness from his system. He found himself pondering over the "incident" and his reaction to it. What had made him comfort Isabella that way? Why had he danced with her? Perhaps it was because of the lecture the Black child had given him. Or maybe...but no.

He could admit that she was beautiful, it would be a farce to deny it now, but he could not admit that he'd helped her because of it. What that girl Lauren had done was inexcusably rude, and uncalled for. Isabella had not deserved that. It was true that he had never been particularly kind to her, but never would he have thought of causing such a public and humiliating scene.

He couldn't have let what Lauren had done stand. He'd been obligated to do something to let those guests of his know that he was far less than impressed by their actions.

The voice inside his head mocked him with the truth he was unwilling to acknowledge. The way Isabella's dress had draped over her form, the way her hair looked and the way she'd stared at him as they danced. Her eyes were so brown and deep...

Holding her had felt right. She was had everything he'd decided he needed. She 'fit' him. He knew it, but he did not yet want to believe it.

A/N: I am so sorry that this is late! I experienced some serious technical difficulties. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me that you aren't too mad.

I'll even make reviewing easier for you, just copy and paste! Feel free to make them more original.

Loved it, not angry at you at all!

Loved it, I'll forgive you eventually.

Loved it, I'll never get over it.

Hated it, stop writing before you embarrass yourself.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and just so you know, when I receive reviews I get excited; being excited makes me want to write and that equals longer chapters...Hint, hint. Oh! And if you read Abduction, go to my page and vote on what you think I've decided to call the sequel.

Isabella woke early the morning after the ball, in fact she was up before the sun had even begun to rise. Her sleep had been plagued by bad dreams; in them she relived the hours that had passed before she'd gone to bed. The embarrassment she felt, the guilt she'd experienced, the confusion over her emotions during her dance with Edward... Her mind had replayed it all for her multiple times, but especially the dance.

Over and over again that waltz, the jealous eyes of onlookers, and that horribly intoxicating man-child called Edward.

The way he had looked at her, no one had ever looked at her the way he had. His emerald green eyes had seemed to flicker and grow darker as he'd stared down at her like she was the only other person in the room. Dancing with him had been effortless, standing in his arms had been of even less consequence, and that was what frightened her. She had never felt so comfortable with a man, other than Jacob, in her adult life.

She had always believed that she knew herself well. She knew what she wanted, she knew what she had, she knew the way she felt about her life and the people in it; at least she'd thought she did.

Still in bed she tossed this way and turned that way, trying to get comfortable and trying to push the thoughts of Edward from her thoughts. This was not the way she wanted to spend her night. She didn't want to over analyze the dance they'd shared and she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She wasn't the sort of young woman to obsess over the reasons behind a mans actions or attentions and she had no compulsion to become one, but she just could not get Edward out of her mind.

He left her dumbfounded and bewildered, time and time again. On the best of days he only annoyed her with his comments about her appearance or her lack of poise, on the worst of day he hurt her on a deeper, emotional level, but never had he aroused such strange feelings of near passion. She wasn't even sure of what had happened, but while they were standing together on the floor she had felt important, special. To him specifically. He'd made her feel like he wanted her there, he'd made her feel like she was something more than a silly, subordinate girl who'd just had the most mortifying and degrading experience of her life.

She didn't know what to make of him. Edward was forever giving her new and different things to consider or question and this was no different and yet it was, because this was the first time she was seriously considering the way his actions made her feel. She had always been able to bury what he said to her and eventually forget the specifics, but this time, though he had said nearly nothing, she was unable to block what had occurred.

Perhaps it was because he had said so little that she was having a difficult time forgetting about it. Over the years she had a developed a relatively thick skin when it came to comments from Edward, nothing he said to her stuck anymore. When he had made her dance with him, well that wasn't something she had been prepared for, and that could explain why she was unable to stop herself from dwelling on it. It was abrupt and unexpected and she had not been ready mentally to handle the sudden departure from their normal routine. Now that it was finished her mind would need to deal with the new situation, look at it from all angles and come to a conclusion about why he'd done what he did.

That however did not explain her own feelings about the dance and she though she did not particularly want to assess them she felt it necessary.

After Lauren had spilled the wine on her dress she had been more than simply upset about her embarrassment over the state of affairs, she had been distressed over the dress itself. She remembered thinking about how hard Alice had tried to make a beautiful dress for her, the hours of labor and the much needed sleep she must have skipped to finish it. She had been angry at Lauren for ruining Alice's carefully crafted masterpiece, and surprised that even after so many years the blond girl still harbored such strong feelings of resentment toward herself. She almost felt bad for Lauren as she thought over what must it be like to live with that amount of bitterness.

She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked about her room. It was very small, but it was enough for her. She didn't have much; a bed, a dresser with an attached mirror, a small bedside table and her chair were the only pieces of furniture. A few personal articles such as her trunk, and little things she'd been given over the years had made a home there as well.

She had placed a leftover square of white fabric, and a small vase with a few flowers inside on the little table. Jacob had made her that vase, and Alice had picked the flowers from the garden for her. Those few belongings told nearly the entire story of her life. She had her two friends and not much else. She had lost her parents, her home, the things that once belonged to her family and everything she had ever known long ago, but she was able to continue on.

Lauren had so much more than she did and yet the girl continued on in her hostility, clinging to old grudges that should have had no bearing on either her own or Isabella's life anymore.

"What a miserable existence, to always be so unhappy with what you have," she muttered to herself as she sat up. Pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them she shook her head. It wasn't Lauren that she was supposed to be examining, it was herself.

With a sigh she turned her thoughts back to the previous night's disaster and her strange emotional reaction to Edward.

When he had called her 'Bella', when he had taken her hand in his and pulled her close to himself she her pulse had thudded in her ears. At the time she hadn't let herself think about it, it had been crucial that she keep the way he was affecting her to herself so that no one else, especially him, would see what he was doing to her. In the few moments that it was only his one hand touching hers tingles had raced up through her arm to her head and then down throughout her body. And then, then he had put his mouth to her ear, she had felt his hot breath there and on her neck, his lips had brushed again her lobe and a wild half-thought had run unbidden through her mind; what would it be like if he kissed her there?

She'd acted annoyed with him, but it had been difficult to do. It was only because of the years of natural animosity between them that she was able to do it without seeming suspicious. She hopped that he had assumed her stuttering to be an effect of the recent mortifying experience.

Then of course there was the actually dance, the _waltz_. She remembered hearing a little gossip about when she was a child; it had migrated to the country around her sixth birthday and was becoming more well known. A dance of forbidden passion, Angela had called it, repeating what she had overheard her mother saying to her father. It had been denounced by both church and state and Isabella had only learned it because on for her thirteenth birthday Alice begged that her "best friend" and Jacob try along with herself and Jasper; as the years went by she forced them all to practice it. Isabella had been slightly surprised that Edward knew the dance, Washington had not been a country to publicly criticize the dance, but nor had they spoken in defense of it's value. She supposed though that the king and queen would have wanted their son to be prepared in case they had any visitors from Austria.

Dancing while standing so close to him that they were touching chest to chest, had sent her heart into flutters. She'd been a bit embarrassed, a little shy, but it was more than that. She hadn't wanted the dance to end. She hadn't wanted him to let her go because she knew that things wouldn't be the same again. In his arms she had felt safe in a way she had never felt safe before.

It confused her to no end and she wished her mother were there for her to talk to. She had never had this discussion with anyone, not even Alice who had insisted on telling her all about the mechanics of the wedding night deed had spoken to her about the differences in feelings one could have for people.

In his way Edward had comforted her, when she needed help the most he had been there to sooth her. He had demanded that she dance with him, giving her no way to escape the spotlight and instead held her there to show Lauren, and everyone else, that she was strong enough to take what they had given her. But, she knew that she would not have been that brave on her own. If Edward hadn't made her stay she would have fled, nothing would have kept her there. He could have bellowed at them all at the top of his lungs and she would have left. He could have ordered that everyone apologize to her and she would have left. Anything, he could have done or said anything and she would not have been able to hold herself together well enough to stay in that ballroom. It was only his tangible hold on her that had kept her there, he had said something about showing Lauren how wrong she was and she had agreed, but that didn't really have anything to do with the reason behind her dancing with him.

She had stayed because he was holding her and that meant something. She wasn't entirely sure what that was though. Of course it meant that she was attracted to him; she could admit that, though she was loath to do so, but was it purely physical or was there more to it than that?

She hopped it was physical; she would be able to manage that. If it were more though, if she truly cared for him then she did not know what she would do.

This was what she had been afraid of, learning to feel for him. She _knew_ that he did not feel the same for her and she was almost certain that he never would. He had been kind to her that night, yes, but that was all. Any decent person would have done the same, or something similar. If he had not acted as quickly as he had either the king or queen would have spoken up, or someone else would have realized what it was they were laughing at and would have said something. Anyone could have stepped in; Edward had just done it first.

So where did this leave her? She did not have strong feelings for him yet, she was sure of that, but they would get there if she let herself continue to be blinded by Edward's more pleasant qualities. She would have to constantly remind herself of the things he had done to her over the years, like the time he'd tripped her on the stairs. He wasn't all good, she knew that, and so she would just have to keep those shortcomings at the forefront of her mind.

Her silent conversation with herself had taken longer than she'd expected it would; outside the sky was lightening, revealing a dense fog that had settled on the palace grounds overnight. She stood from her bed and went to her window, opened it, and stuck her head out. She couldn't see two feet in front of her face.

She wondered what it would be like to purposely take a walk in the fog. Perhaps she would become ill and be unable to participate in any further palace hosted events. Or maybe she would get lost, that was the more likely scenario. She did not have a good sense of direction.

It wasn't a good idea; any number of things could go wrong. She might bump into or trip over something and be unable to work. Something was bound to happen, but she found the idea of taking a solitary walk in the quiet of the morning too enticing to refuse.

* * *

Edward slept for only a few hours that night, waking frequently and dreaming of the dance he and Isabella had shared when he did drift into unconsciousness. He'd dreamed of her eyes on his, so brown and warm, he'd dreamed of the way her hair had curled and how soft it had felt when he'd accidentally touched it. He'd remembered dancing with her, and he'd remembered the devastated look on her face when the wine stained her dress. Now that he was awake again he was taking the time to think through those things.

Undoubtedly seeing Isabella dressed as she was, with her hair pulled up and left in curls, had left him stunned. He was not accustomed to seeing her in anything but her uniform, occasionally she dressed nicely to go to town, but that was casual. He had noticed before that, when wearing informal clothing, she was pretty, but it had never struck him the way it had at the ball. That, coupled with the fact that he hadn't expected to see her at all, had knocked the air from his chest and that had only been the beginning.

Hearing about the way she had disliked him, long before they'd met, he hadn't expected that either. He hadn't been prepared for the way it made him feel. He'd found it funny, hilarious even, to know that Isabella had never liked him and then something else. Just a tiny hint of something...unhappiness maybe? That did not make sense though, if anything he should have been relieved. If she had thought of him as a gentleman before their first meeting she would have been disappointed to learn that she wrong. He would have dishonored his parents even more greatly with his ungentlemanly behavior if she had expected him to be considerate of her.

Thinking back on it, he realized that he hadn't set out with the intention of being rude to her. It had just happened on its own. He was unable to recall exactly what had taken place, but he knew that he had been ill-mannered and that it had been an act of defense. Over time he'd forgotten why he acted discourteously toward her, but it had become routine and they were both comfortable with their relationship the way it was. There had never been any reason for it to change.

"Now however," he sighed to himself as he rolled to his side.

He did not want things to change, but he felt like they were regardless. At the ball she had stirred something inside him. His heart had tightened in his chest when he'd seen the pained look on her face after the 'accident', and he didn't know what had made him do it, but he'd reached out to her. He had never called her "Bella" before and when it fell from his lips he'd known that it would be a challenge to call her by her given name again.

They'd danced, oh that damned dance! That was the turning point. He knew it was he could feel it. He could have left well enough alone, he could have defended her honor to those children and been done with it, but no. He had danced with her; a waltz no less.

She had protested, and he could have let her go, but he hadn't; he'd given her reasons to stay with him. He hadn't wanted to relinquish his hold on her. She had been so beautiful dressed up as she was and that the blush, it usually left him with a feeling of annoyance, had put a lump in his throat. Holding her close had been so simple and at the time he'd wondered why he hadn't done it sooner. He hadn't been able to look away from her eyes.

Once they'd finished, and she had left, he had been overwhelmed with emotion. Anger at that girl, Lauren, and the rest of the women in attendance. Annoyance at his parents for allowing them into his house. Worry over Bella, Isabella, because though he had never noticed it before she seemed to be very fragile and finally confusion with himself.

Even now he was perplexed. He was feeling so many different things at the same time, and some of them were things he'd never felt before and he did not have the correct words to describe them. Warm maybe, and very delicate. It seemed to him that these feelings could be easily broken; he would have to be careful until he figured them out.

They made his chest tighten and his stomach clench, they made him feel woozy and nervous. He wasn't entirely sure that he liked it, but neither was he sure that he did not.

And what of her? What did she think of him? She had allowed herself to be coerced into dancing with him, she hadn't refused his hand. She hadn't looked at him with irritation or disgust. She had stared at him as he had stared at her, but had she been feeling the same things?

He quickly dismissed the thought; it wasn't possible. Isabella had been in a vulnerable emotional state at the time, she would have clung to anyone who offered themselves. She could not have been feeling what he had been. Besides, she had left immediately afterward, that was proof enough of her indifference. It was better that she remained that way, he was having enough trouble handling his own emotions; he did not need to deal with those of another. He did not need the added weight.

What was he to do now? He certainly wouldn't be confessing to or confronting her. He would have to do his best to be kinder to her though, he was sure he wouldn't be able to go back to treating her the way he had. His past behavior now disgusted him, just thinking of all the ways in which he had tried to degrade her left a sour taste in his mouth. He was surprised that she had dealt with him for so many years.

He sighed again, and sat upright, swinging his legs off the bed. He padded across the cold wood flooring to one of the windows. The sun was just starting to rise, betraying the heavy fog hanging around the palace. It made it difficult to see. He wondered if his parents would relieve the workers of their outdoor duties.

He stood at the window for a while, and eventually decided that he would go out. He could give a report on the seriousness of the weather to his father and mother later in the day.

Edward changed into working clothes that could be easily replaced should anything happen to them and crept downstairs and outside into the murk. The thick fog made it extremely difficult to see, and breathing quickly became uncomfortable. He was used to the wetness of the atmosphere in Washington, but this was more of a saturation; it was as if he'd walked straight into a rain cloud.

He squinted in an effort to better see where he was going, but soon gave that up and instead put his hands out in front of him to keep from bumping into anything. He knew his way around the palace better than he knew himself and so he was not very worried about being hurt or getting lost; still, he moved slowly as a precaution.

Completely engulfed in fog now he continued on his way, walking around the garden until he found a bench to sit upon. It was refreshing, being outside in the mist. He felt very isolated; it was as if he and the bench he sat upon were the only things in existence. It was pleasant to pretend that he had no duties, that there was no one to answer to, and no one to confuse his feelings. The more he thought about that though, the lonelier he began to feel.

Isabella had wandered for sometime before finding her way to a little seat, for which she was very thankful, because that meant she was somewhere in the garden. She had been unsure as to her position for a while and had worried that she might have gotten lost. She would be able to find her way from this point as long as she kept to the stone pathway; she would have to pay special attention to feel of the ground beneath her feet.

She sat there quietly now with her hands in her lap, just herself and her thoughts, feeling very alone. It was peaceful yes, but also a little bit depressing. Occasionally a bird would chirp a note or two, probably a warning to others of it's kind to be careful, but besides her own heartbeat there was no other sound. Well, maybe there was one other sound, but she wasn't sure what it was or where it was coming from. It was very quiet and she did not worry herself about it until it became louder.

The hair on her neck stood on end; it seemed as if the source of the sound was coming closer, someone walking? Yes, she sighed with relief, it was only another person come to walk in the fog. If she stayed quiet and still they would pass by her without ever having known she was there. She did just that and soon the sound stopped, it had not seemed to fade away, but she supposed that she had not been paying enough attention to notice.

Her hands left her lap to rest on either side of her. She stared straight ahead, trying to make out shapes, but there was almost nothing to see. A low, dark mass was all she was able to discern, and that was probably a bush of some sort. She was concentrating very hard on trying to figure out where she was exactly when a hand placed itself on top of hers, so hard that for a moment she noticed nothing, but when she did she screeched loudly and jumped up off the bench. She almost immediately fell to the ground, landing on her backside.

The owner of the other hand shouted also, but calmed much sooner than she and was able to guess to whom the shriek belonged to.

"Isabella?" Edward asked cautiously while waving a hand in front of him, trying to clear away some of the fog.

"Oh," she huffed. It was just like him to ruin her morning in every possible way. "It's only you."

"Do not move," he ordered. He felt along the length of the bench to the spot that had been warmed by her sitting on it, and then dropped his hand to the ground, it soon found hers again. He stood and pulled her up once he'd found her. "Why are you outside?" he sound placid, but inside he was actually very nervous. He did not feel ready to meet with her yet.

"I could ask the same of you," she countered, sounding every bit as uncomfortable as she felt.

The stood in an awkward silence, neither realizing that they had yet to let go of each other's hand. Both of them were trying to work out what to say next.

Edward felt that it was his duty to speak, because she had done so last. "I wanted to...clear my mind," he frowned to himself. "As ironic as that sounds."

Isabella snorted. "Could you have used a more contradictory statement? Clearing you mind while walking through a fog," she scoffed.

"Well why are you here then?" he asked defensively.

"I--" she blushed, embarrassed. "For the same reason," was her mumbled reply.

"Hmm."

A few minutes passed by in muteness and then Isabella said, "I should probably be getting back now." She pulled her hand away from his.

He reached for it again, grabbing hold. "Wait!" he said quickly. "You...you don't know your way around as well as I do. I am sure that you will get lost. I will take you back." He began towing her toward the palace.

She opened her mouth to refuse him, but decided, grudgingly, that he was right. Even if she didn't get lost, it would take her quite some time to get back.

While they walked she thought of the way it felt, his hand holding hers. His was very big compared to her own, and warm and strong. Her chest felt heavy.

Edward was thinking about the same thing; her hand was so little, and soft despite the labor it endured. His mind was flustered and his heart was pounding.

True to his word Edward got them back to the palace quickly and he opened, and held the door for Isabella. He purposely stood behind it so that he would not be seen. He had no idea the state he might be in.

Isabella was grateful that he stayed out of sight, she did not want to be seen either. She murmured a "Thank you," and left quickly, barely catching his, "You're welcome."

The palace was coming back to life, others had woken and things were now being made in the kitchen. She hurried to her room and closed the door behind her, resting her back against it. Her hands were shaking as she lifted them to her face. The one he'd held didn't look different, she'd been sure that it would, but it no longer felt like her hand. It tingled.

Edward had also moved quickly to his own quarters and shut the door behind him. He too was standing with back to the door and looking at his hands. He wonder why nothing about either of them had changed. He felt as though at least the one that had held hers should have been altered.

Neither knew what to do to remedy the situation, and both were sure that they were the only one of two experiencing these emotions. They did not have the courage to ask the other anything about it, or to speak to anyone else, and so for now they would have to deal with things on their own.

A/N: Has anyone ever been in a situation similar to this? Where you've disliked a person for years and years only to later find that you like or love them? If you have, then I hope your story will have, or has had, a happy ending! I'm a sucker for those ;-)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A/N:So sorry for the LONG wait, but my laptop's battery gave up after showing me the blue screen of death. Thankfully this is story is saved on a data stick and was not lost. **There is a preview of the next chapter at the bottom.**

A few days had passed since the meeting in the fog and neither Edward nor Isabella had spoken more than a sentence or two to the other since. Their encounters with one another had been strained, awkward and those around them had noticed the tension between the two. They no longer argued in the hallways, or grumbled about the other to themselves. It was a very strange turn of events and no one was quite sure what to make of it. Most assumed that they'd had a falling out and were now refusing to speak to one another, others had suspicions about the truth, but were kind enough to keep their opinions to themselves.

Alice was one who knew the truth yet kept silent about the situation. She did not press Isabella for details regarding the ball, realizing that no amount of knowledge on the subject would change the way her friend was feeling. She had come to the decision that she would have to let Isabella figure things out on her own. She would offer advice if asked, but ultimately she would allow, or perhaps force, her friend to take care of herself.

Isabella was grateful for Alice's silence on the matter of the ball, and for the way she had turned a blind eye to the change in her behavior. She knew that she was acting strangely yet could not do anything to change her attitude. She found it becoming more and more difficult to continue on with her life in the palace while pretending that nothing was different. She realized that no one was truly fooled by her deception, but she hopped that they were at least confused as to the reasons behind the alteration in her demeanor.

She was doing her best to pretend that the early morning meeting in the fog had never happened; she wished that it hadn't. Her mind however would not let her forget it completely, so she pushed it as far back as she could and took on more work to fill the spaces in between. Even so the arduous conversation had a way of cropping up just when she wanted it the least and then the memory of their hand holding would cause her heart to race and her face to heat.

Whenever she happened to see Edward those things would happen. She would stammer a greeting and nearly run off in the other direction regardless of where she had been headed; often times she ended up having to take a long detour to get to where she needed to be. It was worth it though, she was not yet ready to face him.

It had happened once that day already; she'd been on her way to the third floor with new sheets when she'd heard his step in the hallway to her left. She had immediately taken to a back, partially concealed stairway to avoid being seen. Apparently his mind had been elsewhere because he had stopped in the middle of the hallway and simply stood there; eventually, over ten minutes later, Isabella had decided that she needed to continue whether he was there or not and had taken the extended route up the hidden staircase.

It had bothered her immensely that she was able to distinguish the sound of his footfalls from those of others.

That thought was still with her, even though hours had passed since that time. She couldn't get it out of her mind. His footsteps were quiet, muted, it was as if he was walking on plush carpet even when the flooring was stone, and yet she was always able to hear him coming. Never once had she been wrong about it. This was a perturbing realization, did it mean that she was more aware of him than others were? She certainly wasn't more observant than they, if anything she was less so and it seemed to her that her limited skills of observation only came into play when Edward was involved.

During any other time she was always the last to notice things, the last to realize what was going on and often times someone else would have to point whatever it was out to her; otherwise she would miss it entirely. Matters involving the crown prince however had a way of cropping up where and when she least expected them and somehow she always found herself involved.

She shook her head and muttered, "I wash my hands of this. I will _not_ allow myself to waste any more time or effort on Edward Cullen." She then nodded to herself as a way of further cementing her declaration. "No more."

Isabella then forced her mind to other, trivial matters; the day ahead of her was to be an unexciting one. There were no invitees within the palace, there were no parties to prepare for and for that she was grateful. She would simply be tidying up the guest rooms by dusting and such. It would be quick and easy and once finished she would be able to retreat to her bedroom where she would most certainly not meet with...

"No," she whisper fiercely. "Not even now, do NOT think of him."

She soon came to realize that there was a problem with trying not to think of something; the thing, or in this case person, one was trying not to think of inevitably found it's, or their, way into one's mind. Consequently he cropped up in her mind more often than he had before; she wondered what he was doing, she wondered what he was thinking about, and she wondered, worried, about when she would see him again. It was much more difficult to keep herself focused on her tasks than she'd thought it would be.

* * *

Edward was having the same sort of problem as she; he was constantly questioning himself as to why he was suddenly so interested in Isabella. It was driving him to distraction, both his father and mother had noticed the change in him, but they kept it between themselves.

They had their suspicions as to what the cause of their son's absence of mind may be, and Esme was especially hopeful. As a mother it was only natural that she know when her child was undergoing a change in disposition and to guess at the reasons behind the change. She was unsure of who exactly was inspiring the alteration in her son, but she had an idea of whom it may be and she was certain that it would work out for the best.

Carlisle was of nearly the same opinion as his wife, 'nearly' because he was more cautious than she when it came to speculating over the identity of the woman responsible for the change in Edward. Esme was almost certain that she knew who Edward had feelings for and was adamant that they do all they could to get the two together.

"Now Carlisle, please! We must help them along, neither will do a thing without a little prodding," she insisted.

"Leave them be," he told her. "They must work it out for themselves, and we are not even sure that _she_ is the one he feels for."

Esme scoffed at her husband. "Of course she is, it is a wonder I did not see it sooner. It was as plain as day!"

She did however respect the wishes of her husband and kept out of it...for the most part. She couldn't help occasionally asking questions of Edward regarding whom he thought he might be interested in, or making suggestions to him about the sort of wife he would need.

"I believe that you would prefer a brunette dear," she'd say. "All the men on your father's side have married and been quite happy with brown haired women for generations!"

Edward would roll his eyes and goodnaturedly accuse her of meddling, but he would always leave her soon thereafter looking flushed and uncomfortable.

Currently Edward was avoiding his parents, he'd taken to walking about his home in hopes that if he kept moving they would be unable to find him. The both of them had been making embarrassing comments, his mother more so than his father, and trying to have _discussions _with him about married life. He did not need to deal with either of those things at the present time.

His difficulties stemmed from one Isabella Swan. She was to blame for all of his confusion. He didn't even know what he was confused about! Everything was in a jumbled mess, his thoughts were often disconnected and his actions rarely made sense. Just that morning he'd stood alone in a corridor for fifteen minutes doing absolutely nothing, nothing!, but thinking of what was happening to his reason. Had he lost all his rationality? He'd wondered. There was no call for thinking of her so often, or for paying her special attention by trying to avoid her. In doing so he was surely giving credence to the rumors he'd heard circulating about his feelings for her, and yet he could not make himself act in a reasonable manner and simply treat her like everyone else.

Her fault. It was her fault and he would not blame himself, she had done something to him; that was the only explanation for the way he was behaving. A year, no, a month ago he would not have been acting this way. It was that damned ball, something had happened then and it had surely ruined him. He had painful aches in his chest now and then, with seemingly no reason or rhyme, and his stomach often felt queasy. Perhaps it was an illness of some sort.

He refused to share his worries with another, fearing what they would tell him, because deep down inside himself he knew what was happening. He wasn't ready to admit to it nor did he want to and so he played dumb hoping that the feeling would go away if he ignored it. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be happening, in fact it was growing in strength. He found himself involuntarily thinking of her and wondering if he should seek her out, to do what he didn't know. So far he'd always been able to beat back the inclination, but he worried that soon he would give up the fight.

Edward was jolted from his thoughts from the chiming of a clock. He was in his sitting room now, he'd retreated there lest someone should find him standing about in abstraction and tell his parents.

"Is nothing safe anymore?" he asked himself. "Has she invaded every part of my home? I am a veritable prisoner! My father and mother, with their snide comments, must I hide from them as well? "

Just then there was a knock on the door, he called that it should be opened, and in came one that he had been avoiding; his mother entered the room and insisted that he come with her to the library. She and his father had short listed the names of those who would be invited to stay at the palace for the next round of selection and needed his approval. Edward disagreed that they _needed_ him and said that even if he was against one of their choices they were likely to send an invitation anyway.

"Perhaps," she conceded. "But maybe not. You will have no say whatsoever unless you come with me and I am determined that you will."

He groaned with dissatisfaction but did as he was bid and followed her to the library where his father was waiting.

"Edward!" he called jovially. "Come here son and let us all converse!"

Instead of doing what was asked of him he balked at the door; his father was of a quiet disposition, he was being far to jolly. He felt as though he had just walked into a trap and with his mother now standing behind him to block the doorway there was no escape. He was regretting this more every moment.

"Edward we just want you to approve the guest list and...to talk," she prodded him in the back to make him move.

He shook his head desperately. "No."

"Edward do as you mother says."

"No. I do not care who you invite, send for anyone!" In the next second or so it became apparent that he was not going to be allowed to leave and so he tried a different tactic. "You cannot make me talk. I won't."

He heard his mother sigh behind him. "Oh Edward, stop being such a child! You do insist on being stubborn. Go to your father, now," her tone was such that he dare not refuse her. Even at the age of twenty he had a fear of what his mother could and would do to him if he were overtly disobedient.

So he gave in and went to the table where his father was sitting, he waited until his mother was also seated before taking the chair farthest from them and waited for one of them to say something; he'd meant what he told them, he would give them no information.

* * *

Isabella was still working, it was taking her much longer to get through her rooms than it normally did. She kept getting distracted.

"Bella, how many rooms do you have left?" Alice asked in passing.

"Um, three or four, depending on whether or not Marta needs me to take one of hers," she answered. Marta, another maid in the palace, often turned to Isabella for help; she was an older women and arthritis had taken it's toll. She would soon be leaving her post to live with her daughter's family.

Alice nodded thoughtfully. "I was going to ask you when you planned on having lunch, but it will be a while yet, yes?

"I believe so, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it isn't a problem. Come find me once you're finished alright? I have something to speak to you about."

Isabella nodded her ascent and continued on her way to her next room, deciding to stop and ask Marta if she would need her help. She was on her way there when she overheard this conversation:

"The prince has been acting strangely, have you noticed?"

"Yes, indeed I have. It is very odd, he seems to have...to have become a bit absent minded as late."

They were two other maids, sisters, they lived in town and worked only a few days per week.

"You do not think that he could possibly...?"

"Perhaps!" they both dissolved into giggles.

"Whom though? Maybe the Princess Tanya, it is obvious that she fancies him and they would look well together."

"Yes! That would be a lovely match!"

At that point Isabella forced herself to leave the vicinity, it was wrong to eavesdrop and their talk of the clear preference that Princess Tanya showed Edward, and the idea that he may be bending to her, was doing strange things to her heart.

She soon afterward found Marta and offered to take on the rest of the woman's work for the day, her offer was gratefully accepted and Isabella assured her that no thanks was necessary.

"I am simply getting too old for this work," Marta said regretfully. "I am so glad that you, Isabella, are willing to help a nuisance like myself."

Isabella worked her way through each room, changing the sheets, dusting and being sure that all was in proper order. It was two hours before she finished, well after lunchtime, and though she knew that she should eat she simply did not feel hungry. She decided to skip lunch and find Alice.

It wasn't difficult, the pixie was waiting for her outside under their favorite tree.

Alice appraised her friend as she approached her. "Have you eaten? You look pale."

"I am always pale," Isabella grumbled. "But no I have not, I do not feel that I want food just now."

"Alright, but eat soon," her eyes glazed over for a moment before she shook herself. "Or not. Maybe you hadn't better. Anyway I have something to tell you so come here and stand by me."

Isabella followed her friends instruction and waited in silence for her to continue.

"Jasper and I are going to elope."

"....What?" she couldn't have heard her correctly. "I am sorry Alice, but I must ask you to repeat yourself and stand still would you?"

Her friend ignored her request and continued her bouncing. "Elope! We are going to elope Bella! Me and Jasper, Jasper and I. Mr Jasper Whitlock and Miss Mary Alice Brandon will very soon be married!"

"I—I do not know what to say," shock pervaded her voice.

"Say that you are happy for me."

"I am happy for you," she repeated mechanically.

Alice sighed dramatically. "I can see that this will take time, hmm? So I will explain myself while you get over your surprise."

She launched into a tale of how she had been pestering Jasper for weeks about when he would ask her to marry him and had been unable to see anything about it. Just the day before he had gotten down on one knee and asked for her hand, on a whim, and he told her that he'd _not_ planned on purpose because he hadn't wanted the surprise to be ruined by her foresight. They neither of them had much money and Alice had always loved an adventure so it had been quickly decided that they would go to town for a marriage license without telling a soul, except Bella of course, and be married.

"And so dear friend I must charge you with keeping the secret until the day after we have left. It will be great fun will it not? Well, for me it will, perhaps not so much for you, you little rule keeper," she laughed gaily. "It will all be fine, I am going to leave a letter with you and I want you to give it to the queen yourself when word of our disappearance has reached her. Fret not dearest Bella, we will return and when we do I will be Mrs Jasper Whitlock and I will tell you all about married life. I can see that everything will work out wonderfully."

By that time Isabella was master enough of herself to give Alice her truly heartfelt wishes of every possible happiness and to exclaim over the ring that Jasper had given to her.

"It was his mother's," Alice told her. "And his father's mother's before her. Come now, we must go to Jasper so that you can hug and kiss him as you have me. He will be your brother in just a few short days after all."

Isabella nodded enthusiastically and they did just that. Jasper blushed at the attention, but said that he would be genuinely glad to have her for a sister and told her that he would rely on her to help him keep Alice within the bounds of decency.

"She is apt to toe the line isn't she?" Bella teased. "How did she ever convince you to throw convention to wind and elope?"

"It is difficult to say 'no' to her," was the only explanation he could give and Bella understood. Alice was not one to be easily dissuaded once she was set on something.

Abruptly Alice brought the festivities to an end and fair ordered Bella back inside. "Go, go, go and keep this to yourself!"

She did as Alice said and left the two for the indoors. She retreated to her bedroom, intent on reading for while, when she realized that her current book was not in its usual place on her dresser. She remembered that she had brought it with her while cleaning and supposed that she must have left it in one of the rooms and proceeded to go search for it.

She was in the hallway of Prince Edward's rooms when it happened. All at once she began to feel woozy and sick and she had to lean against the wall for support.

"Bella?!" an alarmed voice called.

Jacob? She thought, but no it didn't sound like Jacob. Who else though would call her 'Bella'? The voice was too deep to be Alice, and Jasper had never called her by her shortened name. Soon she ceased thinking at all and slumped toward the floor unconscious.

It was Edward who had called to her in worried tones and Edward who caught her before she hit the ground. He held her there in shock for a moment, his mind racing. Why had she fainted? What was she doing here? She couldn't possibly still be working. What would he do with her now? He did not know where her room was and she needed to be put to bed.

His face crimson he picked her up and carried her to the nearest bedroom; that just happened to be his own.

A strange feeling came over him once he'd stepped back to look at her. She was in his bed, her brown tresses looking somewhat tangled, yet still soft. Her face was very pale and her lips were slightly parted; they were of a pale pink color. He frowned slightly, he'd never noticed before, but they seemed to be out of balance with the rest of her face; a bit too full for her jawline. Lovely nonetheless.

He stopped his thoughts cold when he realized that he'd reached out his hand to touch her cheek. After shaking himself he pulled the cord by his bedside that would alert some staff member to his need of assistance and then stood stock still waiting for he or she to arrive.

A short time later there was a knock on the door and he opened it and gave instruction that a doctor, or the king if he was encountered first, should be sent for immediately.

"I found Ms Swan mid-faint in the hallway," he told his father when he arrived. "This room was closest so..." he trailed off, watching as Carlisle touched the girl's forehead seeking sign of a fever. An odd urge to push his hand away nearly overtook him.

"I do not think she is ill per-say," his father said. "You would have no way of knowing, I suppose, if she had eaten recently?"

Edward shook his head no.

"Well," he straightened. "I will have food sent up, I think she may have fainted from hunger and overexertion because she does not appear, as I said, to be really ill. If she has not had much to eat today her work may have gotten the best of her. I will charge you with making sure she eats and then seeing her to her room."

Edward watched his father leave and as soon as the door was shut behind him he sat himself on the ottoman that had been moved to the bedside. He watched Isabella as her chest rose and fell with her breathing, but soon adverted his gaze with a blush of embarrassment on his face.

He thought of what had taken place just before he'd seen her. He had finally been able to escape the library and the terribly awkward conversation his parents had forced upon him. Horrible.

"Edward we feel that it is time we all talk about...things."

He'd known where it was going and he had no desire to allow it to continue, but whatever he said, no matter how he'd pleaded, his parents had pushed on and so he'd sat, red in the face, and did his best not to listen. He refused to respond to their inquiries as to whether or not he had any ideas as to whom he may choose and he would not talk with them about the guest list. He had no opinion on it; well, nearly no opinion, but by that time he was too chagrined to speak to either of them about anything.

He stood when he heard footsteps in hall and opened the door for the cart to be rolled in.

"The king requested sir," said the servant. "That two dinners be brought to your room," he bowed and once Edward had thanked him.

Isabella lay still for quite some time, but eventually began to stir. First her face scrunched up and then her eyes opened to see where she was. The last thing she remembered was moving toward the floor in the hallway and now she was in a bed and...Dear Lord! She thought. This is Edward's bedroom.

Immediately her face turned red with shame and embarrassment and upon seeing the man himself it darkened in hue.

"I—you," he stuttered. "You fainted. In the hallway and I—I brought you in here," his face was as colored as hers. "My father said it was probably because you hadn't eaten, have you?"

She shook her head silently.

"Well, here then, sit up," he told her as he brought her covered plate over to her. "Just stay there and eat."

It was a very awkward dinner to say the least, and passed in silence. Neither of them knew what to say and even if they had they would have been too nervous to say it. It was soon finished and Edward insisted that he be allowed to walk her back to her room. She permitted it and they parted immediately afterward.

Isabella went directly to bed, she felt very tired and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Edward was not so lucky. Once he'd returned to his room he was forced to work through his strange sensitivity to Isabella. His intense worry at seeing her pass out, his fear that there may have been something seriously wrong with her, his jealously at the way his father had so easily touched the skin of his...

"Nothing," he hissed. "She is my nothing. I do not want her to mean anything!" Even as he said it, he knew that it was too late.

A/N: My computer has died so I have to use another one whenever I can; don't worry I'm not going to abandon this story! Review please, please, please!

**Here is a little preview of what will be in the next chapter (subject to slight change):**

"Alice this will be a black and white event! I cannot wear that!"

"Oh, but you can and you will."

"Alice, no. I am more than grateful that you were able to save the dress, but I cannot wear it!"

"Bella, red is a bold color and you must make a bold statement. They do not know you and so you must make an impression."

"You will not be here to force it on me, and I will not wear it."

"You will. Marta has promised me that she will see that you do. You will not argue with her as you do with me, you rude thing."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A/N: So that scene I said would be in this chapter isn't in this chapter, but that's okay, because it'll be around eventually (probably in the next chapter). Happy Ramahanukwanzmas! Yeah... it just doesn't sound the same does it?

A torrent of rain pored down from the blackened sky, lightening flashed giving view to the black clouds, and thunder roared as if to inspire fear of the storm while strong winds whipped around loose leaves and whistled a haunting tune; the four combined to create a chaotic symphony of sights and sounds.

Isabella stood by glass doors that opened onto a balcony watching the storm as it progressed; she was in awe of the raw beauty being created outside. Only a few years ago this would have frightened her, but now she was able to appreciate the power and majesty of the storm. She thought it amazing that she should be allowed to stand by and watch as the lives of hundreds of people were put on hold for one act of nature.

Outside things were being utterly destroyed by this unrelenting force; crops were being drowned out, roads rendered impassable and creeks were overflowing. This single event was shaping the course of the next year.

"Damn this sudden storm."

"Alice!" she jumped in her surprise and dropped the sheet she was folding. "Be reasonable, you cannot know everything before it happens. Was this not what you wanted? Excitement?"

"Oh hush Bella, your bitter sarcasm is not wanted here," Alice set her basket of fresh linens on the floor. "This is ruining all my plans of elopement for the foreseeable future; I feel that I have the right to be a bit upset."

Isabella rolled her eyes as she quickly striped the bed of all it's dressings. "Well then, leave anyway! What if you decide to go whether there is rain or not? What do you see then?"

Alice scrunched up her face, her brows furrowed. Recently she'd had a break through with her visions, she still endured occasional fainting spells and violent shaking, but as of late she had been able to "see" without losing herself completely.

"Jasper will refuse. I do not see anything, because he will not agree."

Isabella sighed. Her dear friend had been in a rage earlier in the day when the rain had begun, her anger had calmed since then, but she was still visibly upset by the unfortunate turn of events.

"You will just have to endure it then Alice, I am at a loss. There is nothing for it, but to wait it out," she stooped downward and picked up a pile of sheets. "I must leave you now, I still have three rooms to finish."

She left and Alice bade her farewell with the wave of her hand. She was walking toward a hidden laundry-chute when she stumbled upon an upturned corner of rug. She did not meet the floor however as she expected she would; instead a strong pair of arms caught her before she fell.

"Bella! Be more careful would you? I won't always be around to save you."

"Oh!" she huffed. "Jacob." It had been a while since she'd spoken to him, and she hadn't seen much of him since their argument. It upset her to realize that she also hadn't thought about him very often. "Thank you. It has um, been awhile since I've seen you," the flush of shame found it's way across her cheeks.

His trademark smile stretched across his face, and with a sigh of relief she saw that he did not blame her for their recent lack of communication. "I know it has, I have been...busy."

Her eyes narrowed. She knew him well enough to see that he was hiding something from her, and it was something that excited him. "Have you? Would you be able to tell me what it is that has kept you so engaged?"

Jacob shook his head and his black hair swung from side to side; he was in need of a haircut. "No, sorry, I will not tell you anything. Be patient, all will be revealed," he waved his hands in front of her.

She made a face and pushed his hands away. She watched as he picked up the laundry and dropped it down the chute; that was just like Jacob, always picking up after her, always there for her. She felt compelled to say something, perhaps apologize for not seeking him out. "Jacob I..."

"Bella," he interrupted. "I know what you're going to say, but please keep it to yourself. It was my fault."

"Jacob, it was not! If I had not been so, so sensitive," she began, but again he broke through.

"Are we going to argue about arguing now?" he laughed. "Stop please, what has been done is done and it does not matter anymore."

She frowned, but allowed the discussion to come to an end, trying instead to pry from him information about his activities over the past few days. They spoke and joked and laughed and Isabella realized just how much she needed to have Jacob around; he was largely carefree and his easy countenance had an effect on her emotionally.

Time was passing quickly and she worried now more than ever about the experiences to come. She would soon be receiving a letter detailing whether or not she would be invited to stay at the palace as a guest as part of the search for Edward's wife; that left her feeling troubled and anxious. Jacob put her at ease by changing the focus of her thoughts.

"You will truly not tell me what you have been doing?" she asked finally in disbelief. She couldn't remember a time when Jacob had kept something from her.

He nodded his head with a grin on his face. "That is correct, but you shouldn't worry, you will know all about it soon enough," he glanced toward the space where two walls met, a tall grandfather clock stood showing that it was nearly eleven o'clock. They had been talking for almost an hour. "I will take my leave of you now," Jacob said. "I am sure we both have things that we should be doing."

Isabella nodded her ascent and the two parted ways, she to continue cleaning rooms and he to think.

* * *

Jacob left his friend feeling rather encouraged. She hadn't been nearly as upset with him as he'd thought she might be and after only a moment or so of awkwardness they had returned to their typically casual way of being with one another. That pleased him and strengthened his resolve to go through with what he was planning.

The idea of actually doing what he'd been thinking about for years was frightening, yet at the same time exciting. There were many ways in which things could go wrong and very few ways they could go right. He'd had it in his mind for such a long time; at first it had only been a fantasy, but now it seemed possible.

Bella's entering her name into the pool for the prince's search had both surprised and hurt him, but it had also spurred him to action. He now realized that he needed to act quickly if he was going to secure her heart. He and Bella had been friends for what seemed like forever, they had been through difficult times together. She'd been there for him when his father passed on and had even taken time away from her work to accompany him to his home when he needed to sort through old belongings despite what some thought of their traveling alone together. It had been during that time that he'd first seriously considered his life.

He remembered wondering what he was going to do with himself. The death of his father had not come as a surprise, he'd been expecting that it would soon happen; his father had dictated his final wishes to him upon his last visit...

That had only been three years ago and that was when he had begun honestly considering his future. With the death of his father he'd been left on his own, and at the time Bella had pledged her undying friendship and support; now Jacob wondered if her spoken commitment had been serious. Bella had never said anything she didn't mean and he was ready to take advantage of what she'd promised.

Jacob loved Bella, with all of his heart he wanted her to be happy and he was sure that she would be happy with him.

He had been away for a while, sent on an errand to another town, and on his way there he'd made a stop at his house. He very rarely spent time there, visiting the small, old structure once every month or so for a few hours, normally he went only to look things over. This time he'd had a design, and he had achieved his goal; he'd found the ring his father had given to his mother when he had asked her to marry him. Now Jacob was planning to use the ring for the same purpose, and hoped that it would soon reside on the finger of a woman again.

He was going to ask Bella to marry him as soon as he was able to gather enough courage. He couldn't imagine living his life without her by his side; she had always been there and it seemed only natural that they should continue on in the same fashion. It wouldn't be so very different, being married to her. For the most part they would be in the same positions as they always had been; Bella would tell him what to do and he would do as she said with a bit of grumbling.

There would be a few differences of course, one in particular worried him more than the others, but he tried not to think of that; it embarrassed him whenever thoughts of that nature came to his mind. He didn't want to think of Bella that way, but sometimes it seemed that he was unable to help it. For example, when he'd seen her all made up to go to Prince Edward's ball he'd had to struggle to keep quiet about the way she looked. He had thought of it all through the night and the next day; even now it would crop up occasionally.

He was fairly certain that Bella did not think of him that way.

Jacob shook his head, trying to rid himself of distracting thoughts, and halted his walking to observe where his feet had led him. He was in the hallway outside the throne room, and the doors to said room were partially open. He could hear voices coming from inside and was unable to stop himself from listening in.

"...very glad to have you," he heard, it was King Carlisle.

"Yes," the other voice answered. "And it is very good to be here. I am sure we will make great progress in..."

He quickly lost interest in the conversation as it seemed to be about politics and had just decided to leave and pursue other matters when he heard the name of his beloved.

"...servant called Isabella I believe?" Jacob leaned closer to the slight opening and peered inside to find that the other man speaking was King Aro of Volterra. A frown made it's way onto his face as he thought back to the last thing he'd heard about Aro and his 'non-relationship, relationship' with Bella.

The women who worked in the kitchens always had a tale to tell, they enjoyed their gossip and it was their chief entertainment. He had overheard them talking of the interactions between Bella and Aro quite a while ago; at the time he hadn't thought much of it. The older man had not struck him as an adversary, but he now felt compelled to pay closer attention to the conversation taking place before him.

"I wondered if you might object to my requesting that she, primarily, wait upon myself?" His hands clenched into fists at his side. What was Aro's interest in her?

"Actually Aro, Isabella will be unavailable for the next few weeks," he relaxed slightly at that, but almost immediately tensed again. "You see, Isabella has decided to include herself in the search for Edward's wife and she was chosen by myself and Esme to continue on. She'll be receiving an invitation to stay at the palace as a guest..."

A puff of air escaped him, he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath, and he felt his face heat in anger. He was unsure of who he was upset with, perhaps himself, or maybe Alice, but one thing he was sure of; he had to intercept the invitation before it reached Bella.

* * *

Days passed by and still the rain did not end, eventually it became more of a drizzle than a violent stream, but every now and again another deluge would burst from the dark clouds and any semblance of drying was lost. The roads were washed out and many regions declared states of emergency because of the inability to get from one place to another.

As a result of the continuing precipitation the date for the sending of the invitations had been pushed back and so had the start date for the next phase of the search. The letters would request that those on the receiving end send an immediate reply as to whether they would, or would not be able to make it to Washington. Queen Esme was set on continuing the search as soon as possible, even if it meant there would be fewer participants; she was very upset with the uncooperative weather.

Her son took a more positive stance on the subject, much to her chagrin. As far as Edward was concerned the inclement weather was a blessing sent from God himself. It gave him more time to grow accustomed to the idea that near strangers would be having an extended stay in his home; women strangers no less. He was unsure of exactly how long they would be there as his parents had refrained from setting an exact time line, stating that it would be constricting. They correctly believed he would make less of an effort to do his part if they gave him an escape date.

He had spent the last few days talking himself into a clam, and forcing himself to accept that his parents were going to move forward with the original plan. A great weight had settled upon him, with no sign of departure.

Edward would have liked nothing more than to stay single for the rest of his life; there was far too much involved in courting and he was desperate to leave things as they were. He knew that Isabella was to be sent an invitation and he did not feel that he was prepared to contend with her in such a different way. If she accepted she would be a guestin his home and that meant that he would have to treat her on a differently than he ever had before. They would not be able to interact the way they did currently, which was hardly at all and they would be under the watchful eye of his mother who was certain that he and she were made for one another.

He was still rebelling against what he felt. Granted, he had accepted that he did indeed like Isabella, but that did not mean he had to do anything about it. 'Like' was all it was, and he was vehemently against allowing his feelings to grow. That was difficult enough; if he was going to be forced by his parents to spend time with her it would become that much more of a challenge for him.

He had set aside time each day specifically to tell himself that she was not so important and during that half an hour he would repeat her faults to himself. Her lack of respect for example, and her clumsiness were two that he found himself frequently reusing. Part of him wondered if thinking of her so often might do more harm than good, and then there was another bit that insisted this was better than nothing. Edward was not one to sit idly by and so he choose to do what he could to loosen the hold that Isabella had taken on his heart.

Isabella was of the same inclination; she realized that she felt something for Edward, but she did not want to allow it to grow into anything prominent. She felt less for him than he felt for her, though she did not know that, and it was easier for her to ignore her feelings. She had legitimate complaints against him, though they no longer had the effect on her that they once had. She'd been forced to see and accept that Edward was no longer a rude and confused child, and that he had instead grown into a man; she had decided that she could not deny the change in him, but she also did not need to let it sway her to caring for him.

She took a different approach to the problem than he did, and rather than thinking badly of him she endeavored to think of him as little as possible. Whenever his name was mentioned within earshot she would make some excuse to leave the vicinity and if ever he came up in her thoughts she quickly moved her mind to other matters. That wasn't nearly as difficult as it once had been, for she had many new things to ponder over.

She had recently received an open invitation to a new position, and she would have accepted immediately had it been from any other person. Apparently King Aro had come to the palace to speak with King Carlisle, and he'd had a note sent to her offering her a place in the castle of Volterra. She was more than a little surprised by the request and was unsure of what to do about it.

Alice was no help, she said that she would not get involved in it so Isabella was on her own. She did not want to speak to Jacob about it, they had only just reconnected and this would surely upset him; he would leap to conclusions.

No, she would not tell him, and because Alice was set on being difficult she would have to handle this new problem independently.

In his note King Aro had stated that he'd seen her advertisement and had an offer for her. Apparently his niece, Jane, and nephew, Alec, had recently been orphaned; they would soon be living with him in his home and they would need a governess. He felt that she was qualified for the position and had asked her to think on the matter and reply to him as soon as she had made a decision.

It had come to her attention that he was staying at the palace for an indefinite amount of time and that made her nervous, if she were to meet him would he expect an answer? She would not have one to give if he did and what would she say instead?

Her life seemed to be more complicated than it ever had been before, she now had two men to avoid while trying to do her job to the best of her ability. It was inevitable that she would encounter one or the other eventually, and she did not feel equipped to meet either of them.

She did not know what she would say to Edward if they happened to be in the same place at the same time, and yet she felt that she would not be able to simply ignore his presence. If she should meet King Aro she would have to give him some idea of whether or not she was interested in accepting the offered position.

She had much to consider and not much time to consider it all in. She truly did not know what she would do about anything; at no other time in her life had she felt so completely at the mercy of fate and she had a feeling of foreboding. It seemed to her that things were only going to become more complicated.

A/N: Finally an update! Be happy! Also, please let me know if I messed anything up in a major way. I should probably find a beta reader...


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: This is a transition chapter.

The rainy days passed by and eventually the sun returned to stay. A week came and went without any clouds and during that time Alice had a new vision of her imminent departure; she was all joy and gladness and though Isabella was extremely happy for her friend it was becoming difficult to stomach.

"Alice, you know that I wish you nothing but delight, but might you moderate your exuberance? It is all well and good for you and Jasper, but some of us are still looking for love," she told her friend in a joking tone of voice.

Alice saw through Isabella's facade; she realized that Bella was having a difficult time with the recent events. She didn't comment however, knowing that Isabella would prefer to keep her confusion to herself until the last possible moment, and instead did as her friend asked. She did her best to confine her bouts of overwhelming joyfulness to times when Bella was elsewhere. Alice was sympathetic to Bella's plight, but because she had made no definite decisions on any of the pressing subjects, and neither had Edward, she couldn't see anything.

Through unrelated to the quandary between Edward and Isabella, Alice had begun getting flashes of an argument between her best friend and Jacob; the outcome was unknown and she was unable to tell what they were arguing about so she refrained from speaking of it to anyone, even Jasper.

Alice was unaware of Jacob's decision He was set to go through with his plan and had been collecting the mail each day for the last week in order to check it. He was looking to see if Bella's invitation had arrived. Though he was unsure of what he would do with it when he got it, it was imperative that he have it before she saw it.

He was careful not to let his anxiety make itself known, especially in Bella's presence. She would see immediately that he was up to something and would question him about it; he would not be able to tell her the truth, and she would know that he was lying. He didn't want to avoid her because that too would raise suspicion so he did his best to act as if he was not doing anything out of the ordinary.

When they happened upon each other he would talk of inconsequential things and whenever the conversation moved toward murky waters he made sure to make a comment about something unimportant. Still Bella seemed a bit suspicious, but as she had not said anything about his manipulation he tried not to worry about it. She had to realize that he was keeping something from her and he hoped that she would not guess what it was he was hiding.

For her part Isabella was living in a world of confusion. It felt to her that her friends were distancing themselves from her. Alice she understood, she would be leaving very soon for her wedding and who knew how often the two of them would see each other after that? Married life was an adventure of its own, and not one that Isabella had any experience with.

She was more concerned with Jacob's aloofness than Alice's lack of communication. He spoke to her about no more than the unimportant goings on in the town and their conversations held nothing of substance or importance. Whenever she tried to ask him about himself he would clam up and change the subject. She worried that he may have a problem and no one to help him with it; she knew Jacob to be the type of person to keep his difficulties to himself. Until he felt that he wanted to speak to her about it however, there was nothing she could do and she did not want to pry.

So she kept to herself; she did her work, took meals later in the day and spent most of her time in her room. King Aro was still at the palace and so far she'd been able to avoid him. As far as she knew he and Carlisle were having serious discussions about the economies of their countries and ways to expand trade between the two regions. She had not been so lucky with her endeavor to stay away from Edward and each meeting brought with it a new wave of embarrassment and disorder.

Edward made her feel strangely, not sick exactly, although her stomach did react to his proximity. It appeared that all parts of her underwent a change when he was around and she wasn't sure whether she liked or dislike it. Her heart would race, and butterflies would erupt in her abdomen, and she seemed to become more uncoordinated than usual.

She hadn't told Alice because she knew what her friend would say and on some level she realized it herself. She was no longer as opposed to the idea of having a relationship with Edward as she had been, but she did not know how intimate she wanted to be with him. Not long ago friendship alone had seemed an impossibility, but now they were able to speak without hurling insults at one another and unless she was very much mistaken, Edward also had feelings for her.

The idea had been ridiculous only weeks ago, but after their last few encounters she had changed her mind. She had observed that he displayed many of the same qualities as she when they happened upon each other. He stuttered, and looked to the floor just as she did. He seemed as uncomfortable as herself and at first she'd worried that he had realized that she felt for him and was embarrassed for her, but she now believed that he was wholly unaware of her feelings.

It was a startling discovery and she was unsure of how she felt about it. In a way it brought her relief, she was glad to know that someone other than Jacob liked her in more than purely friendly way, however it also brought new concerns. She did not know if he felt exactly the same as she did, or if he planned on doing anything about what he did feel. Not only that, but she was still unsure of what _she_ was feeling. Isabella had no idea how she would reply if he spoke to her about it.

For the most part she tried to keep her mind on other matters. She had accepted that she cared for Edward, and now knew that he felt something for her too, but she wouldn't allow him to occupy any more of her time than he ever had. In fact she may have thought less about him now than she had when she'd hated him.

The same could not be said for Edward. He thought of Isabella as much as, if not more, than he had before. The rain had kept him indoors, and though he spent time with his father and Aro discussing politics he was not often needed. He had taken to wandering restlessly about his home in search of a distraction. He and Isabella had seen each other more than once over the week and he had been forced to realize that he had rather strong feelings for her; stronger than he'd originally thought.

He often found himself thinking of her as he walked, and he'd found that it was an involuntary action. He would wonder if she had harmed herself yet that day, or if they would run into each other. He almost looked forward to the times when they would come upon each other; "almost" because though he enjoyed seeing her he abhorred the way he reacted. He would see Isabella, begin speaking to her and immediately lose his train of thought. What a sight he was! A stuttering fool! It embarrassed him immensely to be seen by her in that state.

He was still trying to process his new feelings for Isabella and he'd come up with a plan to test the strength of his emotional attachment. If she accepted the request to stay as a guest of the palace he would compare the way he felt about her to the way he felt about the other women. He was almost certain by this time that he would never feel as strongly for anyone as he felt for Isabella, but he was not about to let himself make so large a mistake and he still held on to the hope that with time the intensity of his feelings would die down.

Edward was currently strolling along the garden pathways, it had dried enough for the gardeners to clean up the mess that the rains had left. The walk was no longer covered in mud and he was grateful for it; he'd spent far too much time inside.

He ambled toward the front of the palace, but stopped short of turning round the corner.

"...just let me see it Jacob! Really, it isn't as if I won't give it back," it was Isabella's voice. Her tone was one of aggravation.

"No, really, I don't want to. It's private Bella, just leave well enough alone!" The Black boy sounded nervous.

Rather than continue walking Edward chose to stand and listen, eavesdropping perhaps, but he was unable to make himself leave. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to hear the two arguing.

"No! Bella!" he heard Jacob exclaim and he poked his head around the side of the wall to see what had happened.

Isabella was holding a letter, a look of utter shock written upon her face. Edward had no idea what it was she was thinking, but it was clear that she was upset.

"Jacob," she spoke too quietly for Edward to hear, but he was able to read her lips; it was a skill he'd learned to help end rumors before they started. It was a particularly helpful ability for one of a royal line to learn. "What were you going to do with this?"

Jacob spoke louder than Isabella. "I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, the words seemed to burst from his mouth.

Edward shook his head to himself, he wanted to hear more of the conversation, and as quietly as he could he crept closer.

* * *

Isabella could not believe what Jacob had tried to do. He had not yet confirmed her suspicions, but he was not a particularly difficult person to figure out.

"Your sorry? Why are you sorry Jacob? What were you going to do with _my_ letter?" her eyes narrowed as her voice rose in pitch. "You weren't by any chance going to keep it from me were you? So that I wouldn't have a chance to read and respond to it? Because you would never do that Jacob, _would you_?"

Jacob hung his head in shame and embarrassment. There was nothing much for him to say, she already knew what he'd done and anything he tried to say would only be further conformation. Instead he chose to remain silent; at least that way he could say nothing to make her more upset.

"But you did, didn't you! Why would you do that Jacob?! What was the point of this intrusive, callous act of yours?!"

He gave no response except a shake of his head.

"Well I'm glad you aren't speaking, because I can tell you right now that I have NO intention of speaking to you again for a VERY long time," and with that she turned and stomped back indoors to read her letter, she already knew what to write in reply.

Jacob stayed outside for quite a while, wondering how his carefully thought out plan had gone so horribly wrong. She'd seen him heading toward the palace, mail in hand, and had gone out to greet him. It had been the first time they saw one another that day.

In panic he'd tried to stuff the envelope into his pocket, of course she'd seen this and began asking questions to which he had no answer. She'd taken the letter from him then and understood what his plan had been and why he hadn't wanted her to see the letter.

He did not know what he was going to do, this turn of events put a hold on his intent to ask for her hand, and until she was ready to forgive him there was nothing much he could do.

Jacob ran his hands through his hair in agitation and made his way inside, taking care to use a door that Bella rarely utilized.

* * *

Edward watched and heard all of this transpire. He did not know what the exact cause of the conflict had been, but he knew that he was glad it had happened. He normally felt a sense of jealously when it came to Jacob Black, now however he was curiously gratified that the boy had done something to make Isabella so very angry with him.

* * *

Five days had passed since her argument with Jacob and Isabella was still extremely upset with him. He had wisely chosen to keep out of her way during the time since and she was struggling to understand why he'd tried to keep her letter.

There were other things to think about though, and whenever she the chance to be distracted from her questions presented itself she took advantage of it.

Just then, for example, Alice had come to give her a note to pass along once she and Jasper were gone. They were leaving the next day, very early in the morning, and she was nearly out of her mind with excitement. She'd calmed herself to speak with Bella, as she had something of the greatest importance to discuss with her.

"Alice this will be a black and white event! I cannot wear that!"

"Oh, but you can and you will," she'd brought her friend a dress to wear to the opening ball. "Besides, did the letter specifically say that you could wear nothing but black and white?"

"Well no, but Alice...No. I am more than grateful that you were able to save the dress, but I cannot wear it!"

"Bella, red is a bold color and you must make a bold statement," the wine that had been spilled upon the dress had given her an idea. She'd carefully dyed it red and it had turned out fabulously. "I am sure that Jacob is going to see you, do you not want him to see that you are doing well without him? After what he did..."

"No! Don't speak of it! I have had more than enough of Jacob Black to last me a lifetime," she grimaced. She still could not believe what had transpired and had replayed the scene in her head a thousand times.

She'd been looking out a window, and had caught sight of Jacob getting the post, and that in itself was quite normal as he would then distribute it, but when he retained a letter for himself she became curious. Unable to keep herself in check she'd gone outside and taken the note from him only to find that it was addressed to her and from the palace. She'd immediately realized what it was about, but failed to understand why Jacob would have tried to keep the letter. When she demanded an explanation he'd told her nothing, refusing to speak to her. That had set her blood boiling and she'd directly set to writing a reply letting the King and Queen know that she was going to participate in the next part of their search.

It had been a rash decision made in anger and she regretted it now, but she had seen that her letter was taken to town with one of the other maids who had a been given time off to tend to her ill mother. It was too late to change her mind.

"You will wear it. Marta has promised me that she will see that you do. You will not argue with her as you do with me, you rude thing."

Isabella sighed, it was true that she needed a dress to wear to the ball, but she was sure that no one else would be wearing red. It would draw the attention of all in the room and that was not something she wanted.

"Really Bella, it will not be half so bad as you worry it will. I promise."

"Alice unless you can tell me you've had a vision of the event then I have no reason to believe you."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I cannot say that I have, but I have seen other things..." she held up a hand when Bella opened her mouth to ask about them. "Things that I will not tell you about for fear of changing the future. I like this out look."

"But Alice, it would put me at ease to know what was to come! Won't you please tell me something?"

She shook her head. "If I see anything about the ball between now and the time I leave I will tell you. If not, then please believe that whatever happens only leads to good things. You are worried about one event, while I am concerned with the outcome of it all." She kissed her friend on the cheek. "It is getting late, and I must go to bed early. This is our goodbye unless I see something to tell you about. I love you very much," she put her arms around Bella. "And will soon write to you."

Bella hugged her tiny friend back with all her might. "I love you too, and you know that I wish only for your happiness. Tell Jasper so as well, and I will be waiting for your letter."

A/N: Word of warning. I am starting college on Tuesday, and looking for a part-time job so updates will probably be about once a month because school has to come first.

I'm starting another story, a Harry Potter Marauder time fic. It won't be up for a while, but watch for it! It's called "Living to Death". That one will be updated more often than this one, but only because I'm going to write a bunch of chapters before I start posting it.

As always let me know if I made any majorly annoying mistakes. Please and thank you!


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Alice was gone, Jacob was distant, and Isabella was alone with her thoughts. She had been relieved of her duties for the week leading up to the opening ball to prepare for the exhibition and did not know what to do with herself.

Jasper and Alice had left only days ago and Isabella had been forced to seek audience with Queen Esme to explain what had happened. The queen had been quite gracious and had accepted Isabella's tale without asking any questions. In fact, she had seemed unsurprised by the announcement of their elopement.

Isabella was thankful for the way the queen had received what she said. It had taken less than ten minutes to present the letter from Alice and fill in the details of what had taken place. Her anxiety over the subject had been unnecessary.

That was the one recent event that seemed to have gone well.

She had taken to avoiding Jacob. She did not know what to think of his latest stunt and she simply could not understand why he had tried to keep her letter from her. She knew that he was against her participation in the search for the prince's bride, but that gave him no right to steal. She'd tried to talk to him the previous day, but he'd brushed her off. Only an hour or so later he'd come to find her, and it had seemed as though he wanted to apologize, but in the end he left her without saying a word. His erratic behavior puzzled her exceedingly.

She tried not to dwell on Jacob though as there was nothing she could do about the way he was acting. Until he decided to speak to her about what had happened there wasn't much she could do and she didn't see a point in worrying herself about it. There were far too many other things to be concerned with. The upcoming ball for example, and her ever stronger feelings for Edward.

Her possessions had recently been moved from the bedroom that she had grown used to and fond of over the years to a large, lavishly decorated chamber. It was beautiful to be sure, but she felt extremely out-of-place there. She had never in her life been exposed to such luxury and she had no idea what to do with herself.

She was not allowed to work, she had tried but the staff had orders not to give into her pleas. Isabella had been working for most of her life and to suddenly stop was...difficult. Much more difficult than she would have thought. She had no responsibilities, no one was relying on her, and there was nothing for her to do but read and work on her needlepoint.

She wondered if life were always like this for women born into nobility. Were they forever lounging on plush couches in luxurious bedchambers and reading rooms doing nothing very productive with their time? She knew that the main goal for those sorts of girls was to marry into more money, and as far she had ever seen there was little to that other than being considered very pretty. Few of the noble women who had visited the palace over the years had much to recommend them in the way intelligence and Isabella had observed that, most often, they simply agreed with whatever was being said at the time.

Would her life be this way if she were to marry Edward? Would she be expected to simply smile and nod when he spoke?

Somehow she didn't think so. Before her involvement in the search for his bride she would have adamantly proclaimed Edward to be shallow and self-serving, and she would have been certain that a vapid, superficial women was exactly what he needed. Now, however, she knew him to be very different. He wasn't the same as he had been, and she was sure now that he would have never wanted to be with someone who was unable, or possibly unwilling, to think for herself. He wouldn't find it pleasing to be forever bonded to a woman with no mind for politics or arguments.

This was all little more than speculation on Isabella's part, and yet she was sure that her assumptions were correct. She had no real evidence to support it, rather it was an intuitive feeling that led her to believe those things about him.

Perhaps she was blinded by her new found regard for him, and maybe she was seeing qualities that weren't there, but neither of those things held much weight. She saw Edward differently now and she was attracted to him in ways she would have gagged at only months before.

She believed him to be caring now and intelligent. He was reliable and driven. He was very good looking...

That particular discovery was the one that surprised her the most. She had always found his bronze colored hair to be untidy because of the way it stuck up at odd angles, and his green eyes had seemed to sparkle with mischievous plans to ruin her day. She saw him in a completely different light now; his naturally messy hair was endearing, and his eyes were like emeralds.

Her main worry of how best to avoid Edward had changed to a question of whether or not she was going to take the contest seriously. She was undecided as to what she would do about her position. She cared for Edward, deeply, and she believed that he cared for her too, but what did that mean? Was it enough to base a marriage on?

She didn't know what type of relationship she wanted with Edward, but she knew that she wanted to be closer to him then she currently was. They were avoiding one another like the plague, each too embarrassed to speak more than a few words to each other in passing.

Isabella wanted to change the circumstances of their relationship, but did not know how. She couldn't force herself to find him and demand answers, and what could she do but that? She didn't know how to express herself and it wasn't her place to speak. He was of higher birth and male, it was his task to come to her.

If he didn't though, and he chose someone else in the end, what would she do? It would cause her pain, extreme pain to know that her assumptions were wrong, and that her feelings were one sided. It wasn't something she liked to think about. Her eyes began to water at the thought of his not returning her feelings.

She was decided on one matter, that she felt strongly for Edward, and if given enough time and encouragement her sensitivity would turn to love. What plagued her was whether she would be given that chance or not.

* * *

Jacob was still in a state of shock over what had transpired. He was certain that he had no way of telling Bella his feelings now, she would not accept him.

What a fool he had been for believing that he could take her letter without her knowledge! Why had he attempted it? He'd broken her trust, her faith and she had sent a reply in the affirmative. She would continue participating in the search for Edward's bride.

Nothing had turned out the way he wanted it too. He wondered how he would be able to get back into her good graces when he could not even make himself face her. Bella had tried to talk to him several times, but he would always leave the conversation. His embarrassment and disappointment led him to avoid her.

He was spending a lot of time working. Jacob had asked that he be sent on errands away from the palace and his request had been granted. He very rarely worked within the grounds and that was they way he preferred it. It was cowardly, but it gave him a legitimate reason to be away from Isabella and more time to think of a way to ratify the situation.

Jacob was at a loss when it came to how damaged his relationship with Isabella had become. He had no idea how to fix what had been broken, but he desperately wanted to.

Currently he was hiding out in a garden shed. He'd done all his work for the day and he had decided to spend his time trying to come up with a way to repair his friendship with Bella.

He was sitting on a wooden bench, his elbow on his knee, and his chin on his fist, glaring at the floor as though it had offended him. He'd been there for nearly thirty minutes with no success. He could think of no way to explain himself without telling her all of what he was feeling.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Why shouldn't she know? Why was he keeping it all from her?

A new plan began to form in Jacob's mind. The scenario was all or nothing, but it was his only chance.

* * *

Emotionally Edward was in the same place as Isabella. He knew that what he felt for her would soon turn to love with or without her encouragement and he worried that she would not accept him when he gained the courage to speak to her about it. The idea was painful to say the least.

He saw her less often now that she had been moved from her original quarters to those of a guest and at first it had been a welcome change. Not having to see her every day brought with it a relief from the thunderous beating of his heart and the stuttering of his tongue. Soon however, it became a curse rather than a blessing. He missed seeing her blush scarlet when they came in contact with one another and he missed speculating about what exactly those blushes meant.

Edward had recently had a revelation about Isabella, one that he was sure he was correct about:

She liked him too.

He'd noticed that she exhibited many of the same nervous tendencies as himself when they happened upon one another and had come to the conclusion that it was for the same reason.

It brought him great satisfaction to know this and it was a large boost to his confidence; however, it was not enough to send him running to ask for her hand. He felt no sense of urgency to do anything about this turn of events. He wanted to move slowly and carefully, he wanted to be sure that his approach would not frighten her away.

He was unsure of what he would do to secure her heart, but he knew that he had to be careful. Isabella was unlike other women and she would not appreciate being made a spectacle. She wasn't going to want him to made a loud, boisterous declaration of love and so he expected that he would have to spend quite a lot of time planning what to so say and how to say it.

Already the ideas were filling his mind, but none of them were quite right. He couldn't give her something as mundane as flowers, and yet they weren't close enough for him to offer her jewelry. She wouldn't accept it from him. He didn't know what to do for her, but he had to do something. He'd never had romantic feelings for a woman and he didn't know what to do about what he was feeling now.

He hadn't seen Isabella in day or two, his mother had told him that she was not currently working and that her possessions had been moved to a guest bedroom. He wondered how she was handling the sudden reversal of roles; rather than working and feeling useful she was cooped up in an opulent room with nothing to do. He worried that this might influence her opinion of him, he didn't want her to think that all royalty spent their time doing nothing in particular. It was quite the opposite. He was often so busy with things like public relations that he had little time for anything else.

Just now, for example, he was in a meeting with both his father and Aro. He wasn't an active participant in the discussion, but he was note taking and that could be a strenuous job. They spoke quickly, jumping from one subject to another and it was his job to take it all down in as much detail as possible.

He'd done this many times before and he paid little attention to his writing. He was able to attend to both his thoughts and the conversation.

Edward had been spending an increasing amount of time thinking about what it would be like to have Isabella with him _all_ the time. If he was being completely honest with himself he was thinking about what it might be like to be married to her.

The idea sent shivers up and down his spine whenever it occurred to him and he wasn't sure if they were caused by fear or pleasure. He found it difficult to imagine being with her for a majority of each day because he had never experienced spending more than half an hour alone in her company.

He supposed that they would often find things to argue about, they always had before; however, he thought that their arguments would most likely be like those his mother and father had. They seemed to enjoy the banter and when he thought about it so did he. Edward enjoyed his arguments with Isabella immensely, and he thought that she did too. Their fights had no real purpose other than to rile each other and most often they were about obscure and unimportant things.

What else would they do though? They'd never had much of a relationship and they had nothing to base one on except what he believed to be a mutual attraction. They had to share some common interests.

He racked his brain for something that they both enjoyed; he knew she liked books and reading, perhaps that was something they could share. At the very least it was a start and he could build off that.

Perhaps he could buy her a book.

That led to a whole new round of questions of course, because what type of book would she like? He wouldn't buy her a romance, and that was what his mother would recommend should he ask her. Alice had left and she had always been his main source of information when it came to Isabella, though before recently he had only gone to her to hear of what accidents the brown haired girl'd had during the hours that he hadn't seen her.

He was completely on his own and he did not know what he should be doing.

* * *

Jacob had left his hiding place to look for Isabella and eventually found her wandering in the library. He'd asked to speak with her and she had readily agreed. She was expecting that he was going to apologize and far more than ready to be friends again.

Jacob led Bella to one of the smaller tables and the two sat down. He took a deep breath before beginning his carefully planned speech.

"Listen Bella, I know that it was wrong for me to try to take your letter, and I am very sorry. I...wasn't thinking clearly," he sighed.

She gave a highly unladylike snort. "I am not surprised, you almost never are."

He nodded solemnly. "Again, I am very sorry. So sorry that I couldn't think of a way to properly apologize to you."

"Oh, Jacob, it's alright, I know you're sorry and..."

He held up a hand and she stopped speaking. He stood from his chair and began to pace in front of her. "I tried very hard to think of a way to be proper, and as I said I couldn't, so I decided that I would have to be improper."

Jacob dropped to one knee and Isabella stood suddenly, her hand flew to her mouth, covering her gasp. "Jacob! Don't..." she began.

He cut her off. "No, Bella hear me out," he took the hand that hung by her side. "I know I've made mistakes when it comes to how I handle my emotions, but I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you."

"Jacob, stop, I don't..." her eyes were watering. She didn't want this. She knew what he was going to ask her and she knew what she was going to have to tell him.

"No. Listen to me Bella, I love you."

"Jacob!" she exclaimed. "You cannot do this, please!"

He shook his head stubbornly. "You love me too, I know you do, and this just makes sense," he reached into the pocket of his jacket and took out a small box.

Isabella opened her mouth, but found herself incapable of speech. Her water filled eyes overflowed and the tears splashed onto her cheeks. She couldn't say yes to him. He had to know that she wouldn't, he must know! Why did he insist on hurting her like this? Why did he insist on hurting _himself?_

"Isabella, Bella, will you please..." Jacob broke off suddenly as the door slammed open.

* * *

Edward could not contain himself, he refused to allow it continue. He would be damned if he allowed Isabella to answer Black's request without knowing how he felt for her.

He'd been dismissed from his post as note taker not five minutes ago and had stumbled upon the conversation in progress. At first he was merely interested in hearing whether or not Isabella would accept Black's apology, but his blood had begun to boil when the boy began talking of 'love'.

"Isabella!" he shouted as he entered the room, flinging the double doors open. The two froze upon his appearance. He glared at Jacob angrily as he addressed Bella. "I beg you, give him no answer until you have heard me."

Isabella realized that her mouth was hanging open in a most undignified way, yet she found herself unable to close it. What could Edward possibly have to say to her that couldn't wait?

Her eyes bulged as she came to recognize the expression on his face. He look exceptionally angry, he must have heard what Jacob was about to ask her.

"Edward, don't, not you too..." One of them was bad enough, she did not know how to deal with both at the same time.

"Quiet Isabella," he snapped in irritation. "I must tell you of – of my feelings."

Jacob, feeling rather ill, interrupted. "No, this has no bearing on us Bella," he stood, still holding her hand. "Just give me an answer, please!"

Edward had continued to speak over Jacob. "This may come as something of a surprise to you, but I've come to realize that I have...rather strong feeling for you, and I had to tell you before you give Black an answer. I don't mean to frighten or distress you...," he let his sentence trail to an end. Jacob had stopped speaking as well.

Both were watching Isabella, waiting for her to give an answer.

It took her several minutes to find her voice and when she did she knew that her answers were not going to satisfy either party. "Jacob, I cannot, I... I'm sorry, but no," she pivoted on her heel to face Edward. She couldn't stand to see the look of hurt on her friends face. "Edward...I—I can't even speak to you just now, I'm sorry," she fled the room.

As Isabella ran through the halls to the room that she had vacated she thought about what she would do. She didn't know if she would be able to face Jacob again after this, and Edward...What was she to do about that?

She locked the door once she'd entered the now bare bedroom. Nothing of hers was there, only a bed with a mattress and the chest of drawers. Everything else had been moved to the upper room that was to be hers for the duration of the search.

She sat on the edge of the bed for what felt like quite a long time thinking of what had just happened. She was feeling exceptionally confused and highly upset. She hated that she had hurt Jacob, but he had to have known what she would say. He had made slight advances before and she had always made a point of letting him know that she felt nothing more than sisterly love for him. He must have known.

What Edward had said was an entirely different subject. It gave a queasy feeling in her stomach and it made her heart ache. She was glad to know that he _did_ feel for her the way she felt for him, but how could she tell him that? He would want to pursue a relationship, and not to say that she didn't, but how could she after what she had just gone through with Jacob? It would bring her friend more pain to see her with someone else, especially someone he held in such low estimation.

She needed time to think things through. She didn't want to completely discount her own feelings in favor of Jacob's, but she didn't know how to find a satisfactory conclusion.

She would never find a solution if she remained in such close proximity to both of them. She had to get away, go somewhere where she would be alone, so to speak.

It was then that an idea came to her and it seemed, in her turmoil filled mind, that it was the only means of escape. She could not stay and she didn't have to.

She searched the room for paper and found one sheet in a drawer; however, she was not so lucky when it came to looking for a writing utensil.

Isabella crept out of the room and moved slowly through the halls, taking to care to look around each corner before continuing to a new hallway. Eventually she made it to her quarters and there she penned a note to King Aro, who she knew to be staying in the palace, that she would have dispatched immediately.

It seemed a little cowardly to her, but she thought it necessary. She would accept his offer to be governess to his orphaned niece and nephew on a trial basis. Perhaps she would even decide to keep the position. While she was away she would decide on what to do about the love triangle that had formed around her.

A/N: Okay, so It took me a long time to get past a bout of writer's block and get this finished, but the words are flowing again and hopefully they'll work with me until the end of this story.

Incidentally that isn't very far away.

Actually I was kind of glad to be almost done about 5 minutes ago, but as I'm writing it out to you I'm getting teary eyed...I won't cry though, at least not while I'm in the school library!

Please tell me if I made crazy mistakes, I only read this through once because I really wanted to post it. If there are I'll just replace the chapter so it's not a big deal.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The carriage jostled and jingled as it rolled along the country side. It really was breathtaking. The sky was a brilliant blue and unmarred by the dark clouds that so often resided in Washington. Rather, the few clouds that could be seen were few and far between and fleecy white; they danced though the air as the wind blew them toward new destinations.

Isabella leaned backward in her seat and covered a yawn with her hand. It had been two days since she'd left the palace and she would soon reach the castle at Volterra. That would give her only a day to settle herself before Jane and Alec arrived. There would be much to do and little time to do it in.

Leaving the palace had been a difficult decision to make and she'd wondered more than once if she had taken the coward's way out. She'd run away from the difficulties that had reared their ugly heads rather than stay and fight to find a solution. Still though, even after these two days of travel she could not imagine having stayed in the thick of the situation. She would have been plagued with worry and might never have made a decision about anything.

Becoming a governess had never been high on her list of things to do, but there was nothing she could do to change what she had done and she refused to run from this challenge as she had the last. It was more than a matter of healing her wounded pride however, it was also of vital importance that she find a way to answer Edward and that would have never happened if she'd stayed at the palace.

She felt badly about having left him without saying anything in regard to what he'd said to her, but what could she have told him after what Jacob had done? She had been far too emotionally unstable and nothing she said would have come out right. Bella was sure that she would have made things worse than they already were.

She had only told Esme of her departure and had been forced to explain all that had happened. There were many tears shed on her part. The queen had been shocked at hearing of her son's declaration and immediately granted Isabella leave on a temporary basis and she was to report her final decision within a month. The queen had also promised to keep Isabella's departure from Edward for a day or two to give the girl time to get on her way.

Bella wondered what his reaction would be when he learned of what she'd done. She supposed that he would be hurt, and possibly angry. She hoped he wouldn't be to upset about it, he would have to understand why she had gone. It had all been too much for her to deal with at once and he had to have seen that.

She glanced out the window as she felt a change in the ground beneath the carriage. They were rolling along more smoothly than they had been previously. She could hear the clip-clopping of the horses' steps as they went along cobblestones, it was a marked difference from the dull thuds of their hoofs on the dirt road that they had been traveling since the night before.

The previously open landscape, filled only with lush green grass and brightly colored flowers, seemed to close inward in as the coach rolled along into a forest. The trees were quite close and their leaf filled branches formed a canopy overhead allowing little sunlight to penetrate. It became very dark and Bella felt an odd sense of foreboding that she quickly dismissed as nerves.

Sooner than she would have guessed the buggy slowed and the trees began to thin. As discretely as possible she put her head out the window closest to her. They were insight of the castle and it's dark beauty took her breath away.

The Washington palace of the Cullen's was large and lovely. It was light and bright and welcoming. The castle at Volterra was its opposite. Though the sky above was blue and full of sun, the gray stone and high, pointed turrets of this residence were imposing and left Isabella with an impression of fear.

No doubt that was what the creator had intended and if so then he had done a wondrous job of it. The very sight of her new domicile left her with a feeling of foreboding. King Aro's palace certainly did not reflect his personality, he was consistently in a state of an eccentric sort of happiness and this home of his was dark, gloomy. The only thing the homeowner and the actual building had in common was a chilling, disconcerting presence.

Isabella had begun to severely regret her decision to leave her former post.

* * *

Edward was in a rage. His anger was such that his parents had been forced to ask him to leave the room and take time to cool his temper. He had just been informed by his mother that Isabella had been granted permission to leave her post as maid to pursue a new job opportunity. She refused to say more than that for fear that he would take leave in pursuit of her. Esme believed that Isabella needed a chance to find out her feelings and Edward would not be reasonable enough to listen to her rational.

She was correct in that assumption. Presently, Edward was stomping around his bedchamber and sitting room. His breathing was harsh and his heart was pounding in his ears. He was very nearly seeing red.

Had Jacob not also left his position he would have gone to find him just so he could have an argument and release some of his frustration.

He knew Isabella had not left to be with the Black boy, she had made it clear the night before that she had no romantic interest in him, but she had left himself with no reassurances. Nothing, not even a note of explanation. He wasn't exactly upset with her, but he was hurt by her apparent lack of consideration.

Edward knew what he had to do, but in order to do that he would have to find out where Isabella was. He had no one to ask, he'd already questioned the staff and she hadn't spoken to anyone about her departure. His mother wouldn't speak of it and his father knew less than _he_ did. He had no clues as to where she might have gone.

It was vital that he find out where she'd left to. Guests, or more appropriately contestants, were set to begin arriving the following afternoon and he wanted to be away from the palace before then.

His thoughtful pacing was interrupted by a knock on his door. It was a servant, come with a letter for him. He sent the boy away and tore into the note, hoping that it might be from Isabella.

He was momentarily disappointed as it had not been sent by the one he was looking for, but his dissatisfaction was raised to hope in the moment. It from Alice, and she told him that she had reliable information concerning where Isabella had gone. Edward supposed that Isabella must have written to her friend about the incident.

_... I __happen to know that she was recently offered a new situation by King Aro. His niece and nephew were orphaned, he's to be their guardian, and in need of a governess. Bella agreed to take the position. Edward, she was afraid of her feelings and needed time to think. She's already regretting her decision. I cannot tell you what you should do, but I do believe that you must do whatever feels right. She does care for you Edward, and I'm sure you guessed that, so with the knowledge that your feelings are returned make a determination on what needs to be done. I wish I could be of more help to you, but I am sure that whatever you do will lead to the happiness of you both._

_Love, _

_Alice Whitlock_

* * *

Jacob had left. He had run. He'd done the most cowardly thing he could possibly do and yet he couldn't find any bit remorse inside his either his heart or mind for the things he'd said and done.

He 'd told Bella how he felt and he was not ashamed of the way he had gone about it. Perhaps it had been a bit unfair, he'd known that she didn't feel exactly the same way he did, and it hadn't turned out as he'd hoped it would, but if he had the chance he would do it all again. He'd given his all and she would have expected nothing less of him.

He'd returned home. It was a little difficult being there alone, but he was feeling more at peace then he had in a long time. He had cleaned everything up, gotten rid of all the dust and laundered the bed sheets. Wood chopping had kept him occupied for quite a while and it felt good to be busy.

He would have to find new work, but that could wait a bit, he had some money saved and he felt that a bit of time off would be conducive to his peace of mind.

It wasn't as bad as he'd feared it would be, not being with Bella. He could almost believe that he would get beyond her rejection someday.

* * *

Edward was on his way, his mother hadn't been able to stop him and his father had already admitted defeat. He'd left on horseback, unwilling to wait for a carriage to be made ready, and he was prepared to push both himself and his horse to the brink.

By his calculations the normally two day trip would take about a day and a third if he kept pace. That was still too long as far as he was concerned, but it was the best he could do. He didn't so much have a plan as a vague idea of what he was going to do once he got to her, but overall that wasn't a worry of his.

Alice's letter had been a huge boost to his feelings of hope regarding Isabella's emotions toward himself and he was not going to waste any time in finding out for sure. He had a ring with him, one that had belonged to his grandmother. If she felt as he hoped she did he would be on one knee in less than a moment asking for her hand.

* * *

Two days. She had been there for two days and she could not believe the difficulties she was having with Jane and Alec. The twins were highly self-centered and unyielding when it came to doing what they wanted. She had quickly come to realize that they were going to need a stronger, better trained governess than she, but she was unwilling to leave. She had nowhere to go except back to Washington and she was not yet ready to face what she had left there.

She hoped that things would get better as the two grew to trust her, she understood how difficult it was to lose both parents, and how much harder it must be for these two! True, they did have each other to lean on, but they'd led a specific kind of lifestyle. They'd had all the attention they could ever need or want from their mother and father, and now they were to live with an uncle who was rarely home. Isabella was sure that King Aro loved, or at least greatly cared for them, but the nature of his position would send him away often. Currently he was still in Washington and had yet to see the children.

They didn't have what they were used to having and she could emphasize with that.

It was late, after ten o'clock, and the children had fallen asleep over an hour ago. She was awake only because she couldn't settle her mind. She was sitting at her writing desk and using it for its intended purpose, she was writing a letter to Edward. It was difficult though, what could she say to him? She wanted to explain why she'd left, and she wanted to tell him how she felt about him, but that was easier said than done. For twenty minutes she'd been staring at a blank piece of parchment trying to write what she was feeling and, as yet, she had no idea how to do so.

"Argh!" She let her head hit the table. It was extremely frustrating to want to do something, to _need_ to do something, but not be able to.

Isabella stood from her seat and went to sit on her bed, pulling a letter out of the pocket of her apron as she did so. It had arrived that morning from Jacob, but she hadn't opened it yet because she was afraid of what it might contain. He was probably angry with her and hurt by what she'd said to him.

With a sigh she decided that she would have to read it sooner or later and that it was better to just do it. The quicker she read it the quicker she could burn it. It had been forwarded to her from the palace at Washington.

_Dear Bella, _

_I'm sure you've been carrying this letter around with you for some time, afraid of what I would write. I want to assure you now that there isn't anything terribly bad in here. I'm only writing to tell you that I am sorry for the way I pushed my feelings on you, I knew you didn't feel the same for me, but I had to at least try._

_I've gone home Bella, I was neglecting the place and it was time to make a change anyway. I hope you are not too angry with me for seemingly running away, but there was no real reason for me to stay._

_I know how he feels about you Bells, Edward I mean. I feel the same, but he beat me out here. In a sense he won the game, and I just needed you to know that if I had to lose you to someone, at least it was to a person who loves you at least as much as I do._

Her eyes were watering by this time. She had never known Jacob to be one who would apologize for something he'd done. He didn't often do anything bad enough to warrant it, but even when he did, it wasn't common for him to directly offer an apology.

What was even less like him was the fact that he'd conceded to defeat, not only that, but to an opponent he apparently considered worthy!

Shaking her head and wiping her eyes, she continued reading the letter.

_I know how hard it is for you to believe that he, that anyone, could really want to be with you in the romantic sense of the word, but he does. It's a little bit disgusting for me to think of it, and to be honest it makes me feel like losing my lunch, but don't leave him without an answer. I know you, and I know your first instinct will be "flight" and maybe you've already done that. If so then you must go back. Then again, if you have left, he may be on his way to get you._

_So, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I still love you. I really do, and I love you enough to want you to be happy, even if that means I'm not the one you're happy with._

_Send me a letter when you stop being upset with me._

_Love,_

_Jacob Black_

"Oh, Jacob," Isabella sighed. How was it that he was always able to quell her anger? Even when it was completely deserved, he always seemed to be able to get straight to her heart and force her to forgive him.

She straightened suddenly, whipping her head around toward a window. "What was that?" she murmured to herself as she stood from the bed. She'd thought she had heard a horse, but she hadn't gotten any notice of visitors, and even if she had it was very late for someone to be arriving.

It was far too dark for her to see who it was exactly, but the person looked to be fairly tall. Whoever it was had come on horseback and was wearing a black cape that seemed to have a crest on the back, but because of the strong winds it was constantly whipped around and she was unable to make it out.

She quickly turned from the window and slipped shoes onto her feet. Someone would be coming up to get her soon to receive the guest.

Less than five minutes later a knock on her door sounded and she was being led to the drawing room where the visitor was waiting.

She knew immediately who it was. His bronze hair stood in disarray and his green eyes shone with some unknown emotion. Edward had come to see her.

In an instant her thoughts flew from her mind and before she knew what she was doing she had sprinted across the room into his surprised, yet open, arms.

* * *

Edward had stood to greet Isabella and she nearly knocked him over when she collided with him. He caught, steadied, and set her in front of him so he could get a good look at her.

Seemed well enough, tired perhaps, but then it was fairly late. He supposed that he must have woken her. Her hair was its usual wavy brown and her eyes like melted chocolate. They were watering just then. Tears pooled and began to fall, splashing onto her cheeks.

He pulled her close again, so that her head was pressed against his shoulder, and so he could put his face in her hair.

"Umsery," he heard her say.

"What was that?"

She shifted slightly in his arms and repeated herself. "I said, I'm sorry. I left without any notice, I didn't even leave you a note!"

He sighed loudly. "Do you think that I came here for an apology?" he pushed her backward slightly and reached into a pocket.

She knew what he was going to do before he'd even gotten the ring out of its box and she knew what she would say to him. So, she waited quietly while he fumbled with the ring before dropping to one knee in front of her and taking her hand in his.

Edward took a deep breath. "I'm sure you've realized what I'm doing, and you know how I feel about you. I love you, Bella, so much and I'm sorry that it took me such a long time to realize it, and then even longer to do anything about it," he pressed his lips to her hand. "I'm asking you to marry me, to stay with me."

Bella was quiet for a moment, trying to compose herself. She didn't want to cry.

Once she felt that she would be able to answer him without making a scene she opened her mouth. Of course she promptly choked on her words and could only nod her affirmation while tears streamed down her face.

That was quite enough for Edward, more than enough, and he placed the diamond ring on her finger. It was a long oval, with slanted rows of diamonds, surrounded with a gold netting. Beautiful. She didn't really see it though, she couldn't pay attention to her new ring, or even to her happiness because Edward had kissed her.

* * *

Within a week Edward and Isabella had returned to Washington. Aro had been notified of the situation by way of letter from Alice; he seemed unsurprised, and strangely happy, with the way things had turned out. In fact, it almost seemed as though he'd been _expecting_ the turn of events.

The search for Edward's bride had been canceled, the announcement publicly made, and quite a few people were upset by it. More than one country had decided to take the proclamation as a personal offense. Neither Carlisle or Esme were worried by this, they were confident that as soon as invitations had been sent out the anger would dissipate as excitement took over. Edward's wedding was sure to be a grand affair as they he and Bella had handed all creative power to Alice.

She and Jasper had been at the palace when they returned. Naturally Alice had seen the outcome and was all excitement and joy. She had immediately begun asking Bella to allow her to plan the wedding and after much discussion and many limits her pleas had been answered. She had been given a nearly unlimited budget, but all her decisions would have to be approved by Esme. Bella wanted no part in planning the wedding and Edward agreed.

With Alice in control planning ran smoothly, as did set up, and the sending of the requests of attendance. Everyone was there to witness the union between Prince Edward Cullen and his bride Isabella Marie Swan.

Bella looked more than lovely in her dress, also designed by Alice. It was made of fine ivory silk, with wide laced cuffed sleeves, and a draped skirt with two-tone silk and a gold colored, corded fabric fringe. Originally the bodice had been extremely low-cut and even Alice had had to concede that it needed to be brought higher up. Her hair was left down, a wreath of roses and orange blossoms crowning her head, and once she and Edward were married she would receive the tiara that Esme had been given when she married Carlisle.

At the moment Bella was in her room being poked and prodded by Alice. There were only minutes before Carlisle would knock the door. The marriage is would be performed at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, in the east garden of the palace. She would enter first, resting on the arm of her soon to be father-in-law. Next would be Edward with his mother. Then the groomsmen and bridesmaids, Alice with Jasper and Rosalie with Emmett, would enter. Bella would have loved to have Jacob in the wedding as well, but he had declined his invitation.

She and Edward would proceed to say their vows and exchange rings. After that would be the reception and then the two would leave for a two week vacation before returning home to prepare for Edward's coronation ceremony.

"Alright now," Alice said. "It's nearly time. I have been over this with you time and time again. Nothing, as far as I can _see_," she winked. "will go wrong."

Isabella's breathing was uneven. "Right."

The shorter girl rolled her eyes. "If you can make it through this there will be an immense surprise waiting for you during the reception."

The knock came and Alice opened the door to Carlisle who looked quite dashing in his navy blue waistcoat and black trousers. On his head was his crown.

He didn't say anything as he took Bella's hand and began leading her through the hallways of the palace.

"Breath Bella," he told her when they were about to exit the castle into the garden. "Everything will be fine," he patted her hand. "I will be with you all the way to end of the aisle."

"Yes," she choked. "Fine. Everything will be fine."

Once they were outside she concentrated wholly on her walking. Alice had been surprisingly conservative when it came to choosing which shoes she would wear, they were satin and the heels were only a few inches high, but she still worried about losing her footing. Consequently she saw almost nothing of the set up or decorations. She saw that Alice had arranged flowers of all colors, and that every seat was filled, but that was all.

She and Carlisle reached the end of the aisle and then Edward and Esme entered.

Immediately Edward could see was Isabella and vice versa. Neither of them noticed anything else throughout out the ceremony and before they knew it they'd exchanged rings and kissed in front of everyone. This was something Alice had insisted on, though it was greatly frowned upon in high society, and Edward thought the idea of showing off his bride agreeable, so Bella had been outnumbered. She found that she did not mind it as much as she'd thought she would.

The reception passed uneventfully until the very end. It was little more than a fashionable supper. Alice would have loved to make it more exciting, but Esme had forbid it. She insisted that though neither herself, Carlisle, her son, or daughter-in-law cared much for the opinions of others, it was important to keep the reception muted lest rumors began to spread. Edward and Isabella's kiss would be all that most of the nobles could manage.

As soon as everyone had settled Bella had been taken away by Alice to the other side of the palace where her surprise was waiting. Jacob had come. He didn't have much to say, but he did give Bella a wooden carving of a wolf that he'd made. It was an emotional meeting with many tears shed by Bella and a few by Jacob once he was on his way back home.

Soon Edward and Bella were on their way to spend time alone before the coronation preparations began. It was a time of quiet, intimate moments that neither of them would have traded for the world. During the days away Bella wrote a letter to Jacob, telling him of the wedding and wishing to see him again when he was ready. He replied saying that he would be happy to visit with her someday soon.

Upon their return to the palace they found that Alice and Jasper had left once again. Alice had been asked to help plan the wedding of another royal family, apparently she had started a trend with her designing of Edward and Bella's. Many families were looking to her for advice on large events and it seemed that Alice would break yet another long standing tradition: She was, for all intents and purposes, a career woman. Jasper was simply happy that Alice was happy and had no qualms with allowing her to do as she wished, provided that she include him in decisions that involved their traveling from home.

The newlyweds were not able to spend much time alone however, as soon as they returned they were thrust into preparations for the coronation. This brought quite a lot of anxiety to Isabella as she would also participate, though in a very small way. She was very worried that she would somehow make a mistake. Her husband continually assured her that she would not.

In the end everything went as well as could be expected. Bella made none of the mistakes that she was frightened she would and nothing embarrassing came of the exhibition. Edward became king of Washington, Isabella queen, and Carlisle and Esme retired to live on a small, poor island community were Carlisle practiced medicine.

A few months into their reign Bella became pregnant with their first child, a girl. She was born healthy and beautiful, with her mother's chocolate colored eyes and her father's reddish-brown hair. They called her Renesmee, after both sets of grandmothers. A pair of twins came after her, two boys, whom they named Peter and George, and after the twins came one more girl by the name of Carlie, who like her older sister had been named for her grandparents, this time the males.

Life continued on in the fashion that it usually did, with glad moments and sad moments, but in the very end everyone could say with conviction that they lived happily ever after.

And that, dear readers, is...

**The End**

A/N: Thank you so much for reading this story though to the end! I'm sorry it took me such a long time to finish it, but please forgive me and leave your thoughts and comments in a review for this final chapter!**  
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